The Blood Curse: A Drastoria Fanfiction
by the-demelza-robins
Summary: Draco and Astoria - how they found each other, lost each other, and found each other again. Set after the Battle of Hogwarts.
1. The Curse

Astoria Greengrass shifted under her green and silver blanket, recoiling from the thin shaft of sunlight streaming in through what counted as a window in the Slytherin dormitories.

"Get up," Pansy Parkinson snapped from the entrance to the girl's dormitory, already clothed in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry uniform: black robes and a tie that corresponded to her house.

"I'm trying, but my bed keeps eating me," Astoria grumbled. Pansy looked at her for a second, head tilted slightly to the side. Sometimes Astoria thought most humor was forbidden in the Slytherin house. She sighed. "Coming."

Pansy threw some of her clothes at her, her expression softening slightly. "Breakfast in five. The group's waiting."

The Group. Also known as Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass (Astoria's older sister), herself, and, most importantly, Draco Malfoy. The boy she couldn't for the life of her figure out.

Astoria got out of bed and took a quick shower before sliding into her uniform.

"Your tie isn't on correctly," a voice said from the doorway. Astoria looked up to see Draco leaning against the doorframe.

"Sor- _ry_ ," she said sarcastically. He smirked.

Sarcasm: the one type of humor Slytherins _did_ understand.

"Why are you even here?" she asked him, tying the last lace on her sneakers and joining him in the doorway. He eyed her tie. Rolling her eyes, she retied it the correct way.

"I wanted to make sure you were awake," Draco said, nodding in satisfaction at her new efforts.

"Oh. Thanks."

They stood there for a second.

"How's Pansy?" she blurted out. He looked surprised but answered nonetheless.

"She's fine. Unreasonably excited about us..." Astoria knew when he said that that he meant himself and Pansy, his girlfriend, not her, even though she wished it was her. "Being in the seventh year for real and all that," he mused. His expression was cold.

"It sounds like a big deal," Astoria said, her head slightly bowed to hide the hurt in her eyes. He was so arrogantly oblivious...

"Whatever. I have bigger things on my mind."

Astoria was going to ask him what those things were but decided against it. Instead, she extended her elbow to him mockingly. "Shall we?"

Draco bowed. "We shall," he said, placing his hand on her arm as they descended down the staircase. He let go when they reached the common room. Pansy would get jealous, though Astoria kept telling herself that there was nothing for Pansy to be jealous of. She and Draco would always be (at best) friends.

"- filthy little Mudblood thinking she's so great because she got Head Girl -" Pansy was saying as Astoria and Draco walked over to the group. She broke off when she saw Draco. "Draco!" she squealed, her voice an octave higher than usual, before kissing him for a little too long (in Astoria's opinion, anyway). Draco pulled away and examined the group, making sure they were all there.

"Let's go," he said as if he hadn't been passionately making out with his girlfriend five seconds before. Pansy linked arms with Astoria as Draco lazily slung his arm over his girlfriend from the other side.

"What were you saying?" Astoria asked her friend as they walked to breakfast.

Pansy frowned. "The Mud- Granger girl got Head Girl this year," she said, stopping herself before she said "Mudblood" in Astoria's presence. Astoria's late mother had always hated the word, and, as such, she and her sister refused to say it.

"Who's Head Boy?" Astoria asked.

"Harry Potter, of course," Pansy snarled, glancing over at the Gryffindor table where the Boy-Who-Lived was eating breakfast with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

"It's Pothead, Pansy," Draco corrected loudly as they sat down at the Slytherin table. Pansy laughed, and Draco looked incredibly pleased with himself. "Must be tough for the Weasel, won't it? His best friend and girlfriend living together..."

"Oi, Ferret! Shut up before your teeth fall out!" Ron called from the table opposite theirs - the Gryffindor table.

Draco stood up, followed by most Slytherin seventh years, excluding Daphne and Astoria. "Make me," he said, his lip curling.

Potter stood up quickly, his sudden movement rattling his table. "Gladly."

Suddenly, almost all Gryffindor seventh years were also on their feet, wands out.

"Draco!" Astoria hissed, looking up at him. "You don't want to do this. Sit down before anyone gets hurt." Despite her warning, his gaze remained straight ahead, ignoring the girl as if she was a fly buzzing around his head. "Draco!" the sixth year said, a little louder.

"Does somebody not want to fight? I suppose that's what to be expected from a _Slytherin_ ," Seamus Finnigan jeered, pointing his wand straight at Astoria.

Suddenly, everyone looked at the pleading girl. Draco pulled her up, lip curling, and she knew that he was just saving face and Slytherin's reputation.

At the expense of her getting hurt if the fight started.

"Nice try, Malfoy, but I guess some people were just born to be cowards. _Stupefy_!"

And suddenly a red light was hitting her chest and she was falling backward, head hitting the cold hard floor with a gigantic crash...

And Draco's emotionless face blinked and then disappeared into a void of black, along with everything else.

"Astoria, wake up!"

The girl woke up to see Pansy shaking her roughly.

"Hi," Astoria said quietly, just now noticing the hospital bed she was sitting in. "What happened?" she asked as she eyed the other patients - all Slytherins and Gryffindors from that morning. "What time is it?"

Pansy squinted at the huge clock above the entrance to the hospital wing. "One in the afternoon. We all missed lunch for you, so you better be grateful."

Astoria smiled at her friend. "We?"

"Draco's waiting outside. Blaise and Daphne visited you already but you wouldn't wake up."

"Oh. What class do we have now?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," Pansy said, her tone sardonic, "Wouldn't want to miss that."

Astoria grimaced. "Well, I better get up and go. I can't fall behind."

"Say more things like that, Astoria, and you'll end up like Granger," Draco said, entering the room.

"So what happened?" Astoria asked again, ignoring his comment. Truthfully, being like Hermione Granger wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, she thought. Perfect grades, great friends, a loving boyfriend... not being in a house where backstabbing was as normal as walking...

Draco's voice pulled Astoria from her thoughts. "That terrible excuse for a human being -"

"Seamus?" the injured girl corrected him gently.

He nodded, face pale (as always), hands curled into fists. "Seamus stunned you. Of all people.." he started to boil over again.

"It's okay," she said, trying to sound brave. "I'm fine, see?"

He looked at her for a second, regained his composure, and nodded.

"I didn't know you cared so much about me," Astoria joked, head burning. Pansy shot her a look - Astoria had forgotten her place. She cleared her throat. "I think you guys can go back to class now. I'm just going to rest."

They left, and Astoria slept once more.

Madam Pomfrey was the next face she saw.

"Miss Greengrass? We need to talk."

Astoria sat up in bed, rearranging her pillows so that they were more comfortable. "Yes?" There was a mirror in the corner of the room. She looked even more pale than usual, which was saying something. Her black hair was still curly and disheveled.

Madam Pomfrey's face was grim. "While you were out, I did some customary examinations on your overall health, and it appears that something is amiss."

Astoria inhaled sharply. What could possibly be wrong with her? She'd had great health all her life. "And?"

"Do you know who Geoffrey Greengrass was?"

"No."

"Geoffrey Greengrass was the first member of the Greengrass line, and, well..." she looked at her patient again, whose face was now completely white. "Have you heard of the blood curse, my dear?"

"No," Astoria breathed, starting to feel nauseous.

"The blood curse pops up every few generations, and when it does..." Madam Pomfrey looked at Astoria, who was still holding her breath. "When it does, it's usually fatal."

"What do you mean, fatal?" Astoria said, little stars appearing in front of her eyes. She tried to push them out of her mind; she was not going to faint. Not now.

"Well, every Greengrass who has been diagnosed has died..."

The stars got darker. She took a sip of water to calm herself.

"And you're sure I have it?" She would not soil the Greengrass name by failing now. She would not.

"Positive."

"How long do I have?"

Madam Pomfrey thought for a few moments. "It depends. I added it to your Saint Mungo's record and contacted your father. I suggest you visit the hospital once a week from now on. We may be able to delay the curse's effects."

"Okay," Astoria said, still not quite believing. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. She was supposed to be successful, have a large family, be an accomplished witch.

"I'm sorry, dear," Madam Pomfrey said, pity and sadness in her eyes.

"Can you leave now?" Astoria asked.

Madam Pomfrey left, and Astoria smashed her water glass to pieces unintentionally - she'd been clinging to it like a lifeline throughout her visit with Madam Pomfrey, and now all the frustration was channeled into the breaking of the glass.

Astoria held her hand out, watching the blood from the glass seep out and onto her white duvet.

The _cursed_ blood, she corrected herself.


	2. Lost Time

"I brought you dinner."

"Thanks."

Draco and Astoria stared at each other.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Astoria lied. In truth, she couldn't stop shaking, her hand was still bandaged up from the glass incident, and her head was pounding like crazy. Oh, and she was dying. She had to get used to that one.

Draco stared at her some more, and Astoria felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she finally asked.

Draco sat down on a chair next to her bed. "You don't look 'okay'. You look terrible." He eyed her hands, which were still shaking.

"Can't have one of your friends looking anything less than perfect," Astoria said sarcastically, a sudden anger rising within her, triggered by his coldness.

Draco furrowed his brows. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you think it does," Astoria spat. "You don't know anything about me, _Malfoy_ , and you don't want to. But it looks bad that one of the Slytherins are still in the hospital after fighting the Gryffindor house so you try to make the person feel better so they'll recover as soon as possible. Thanks, but no thanks."

Draco looked considerably taken aback. "I know things about you," he protested.

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Like what?"

"Your sister is Daphne Greengrass."

"Everyone in the school knows that."

"Your favorite color is green."

"I'm in Slytherin, aren't I?"

"Your favorite food is pancakes."

"I say that every day!" Astoria said, growing angrier by the minute. "Are you going to say that my eyes are brown next?"

"Hazel, actually," Draco murmured. Astoria stared at him, and he sighed. "Look, I give up, okay? All I did was bring you dinner and now you're all mad at me!"

"Please leave," Astoria said, feeling faint again. The stars reappeared.

"No, I'm not going to leave until you apologize, Astoria," Draco said irritably, crossing his arms and slumping back in his chair.

"I'm not apologizing to you." _It's hard to see him through all the stars_ , Astoria thought.

"Well, then, I guess I'll just have to stay here until you do."

The stars burst in an explosion of light, and Astoria fainted.

•

"A common side effect -"

"Of what?" Pansy's voice was murky and sounded very far away.

"She hasn't told you? I'll let her tell you on her own terms. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to perform more examinations on her. Visiting hours are over. Yes, Malfoy, they just ended. Out! The lot of you! Out!"

Astoria heard footsteps and then a door slamming. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Madam Pomfrey was straightening out her blankets.

"It's sweet how much your friends care about you, Miss. Greengrass, but they must learn to respect the rules."

Astoria nodded, and the nurse beamed in satisfaction. The girl decided now was as good a time as ever. "Madam Pomfrey?" she said, trying to sound as sweet as possible, "Can I go back to school tomorrow? I'd hate to fall behind in my classes, and I feel okay." The last part was a lie, but she needed to get out of the hospital wing and back into her regular life. As for the blood curse, she wouldn't tell anyone except for her sister. She didn't want to be pitied and babied, she already was, being the younger sibling and having lost her mother at the age of three.

Madam Pomfrey thought for a minute, then nodded. "But," she added warningly, "you must come to my office every week so we can Floo you over to St. . How about every Tuesday after dinner?" Astoria nodded. "Good. See you then, my dear." With that, the nurse left the room, and Astoria started walking back to the Slytherin common room.

"Pureblood," she muttered when she reached the dungeons. The grungy wall rearranged itself to admit her, and she walked inside.

"Astoria!" Pansy shouted, getting off the couch where she'd been curled up with Draco and running over to hug her friend. "How are you?"

"Fine," Astoria said shortly. Pansy looked at her, realized she wasn't going to elaborate and pursed her lips.

"What's going on with you? You don't seem well."

"Gee, thanks," Astoria said sarcastically before smiling. "I'm like I said. Just tired." Fatigue was always her go-to excuse since it was so believable.

"You need to stop staying up late to finish homework!" Pansy exclaimed. "It doesn't matter _that_ much."

Astoria smiled at Pansy again, shaking her head. Though she loved her friend dearly, they couldn't see things any more differently. Astoria thought homework and notes were a must, and Pansy thought those were things to complete when one was bored and had no other options. Pansy thought one was not complete without makeup, and Astoria steered clear of all powders if she could (they made her sneeze).

Pansy had Draco, and Astoria didn't. Pansy was a born Slytherin, and Astoria had to beg the hat not to put her in Ravenclaw so that she'd please her father, who would've disowned her if she came back from Hogwarts as any house other than Slytherin.

"I'm sorry for your illness," a curt voice said from behind Pansy. Astoria snapped back to reality and found herself staring into the cool gray eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Pansy's brows furrowed as she looked between the two, wondering what happened between her best friend and her boyfriend.

Astoria felt arms wrap around her tightly and inhaled her sister's scent. "I'm so sorry, Astoria," she sobbed. "You didn't even want to fight..."

"It's okay, Daphne," Astoria comforted. "I need to talk to you later," she added so that only her sister could hear.

Daphne nodded. "Common room?" she whispered.

"Sure, once everyone clears out." She gave her sister a sad smile and sat down with Pansy. Daphne and Astoria told each other everything, and if Astoria really were to die, she wanted Daphne prepared and not caught off guard.

•

It was dark, the glow of the Slytherin common room lights bathing everything in an eerie green light. Astoria and Daphne had waited for everyone to leave the common room, Astoria fussing over her Transfiguration homework and Daphne painting her nails. Finally, when the last fourth year had left with a tired look on his face, the two sisters sat down next to each other.

Astoria drew in a deep breath and looked into her sister's green eyes. This wouldn't be easy. "I have a blood curse," she said finally, as quickly as she could.

"The Greengrass blood curse?" Daphne asked, struggling to keep control of her emotions.

Astoria grimaced. "That's the one."

"How long do you have?"

"I don't know." Saying this all made everything more final, and Astoria felt tears burning her eyes.

"Does Father know?" Daphne asked, hands slightly shaking as she diligently ignored Astoria's watery eyes.

"Madam Pomfrey told him as soon as she found out."

"Is there a -" Daphne's voice broke. Astoria had never seen her this upset before. She paused to compose herself before finishing the question,"Is there a cure?"

"There's a treatment, but it'll only prolong the inevitable," Astoria said somewhat bitterly. Daphne clutched the dying girl and wept - something that Astoria hadn't expected her to do. Nonetheless, Daphne's tears were enough to release her own, and they cried together.

When the broken-hearted girls finally went to bed with red eyes and faces, their hearts felt heavy. Their time was limited, and the clock was counting down until the day when they wouldn't see each other again for a long, long time.


	3. Nerve

Astoria woke up to a sleeping dormitory. It was early, only five thirty in the morning according to the clock on her bedside table, but she didn't mind. Now that she knew she didn't have as much time as she would've liked, she'd decided to savor every waking moment.

Even if those moments were tinged by fatigue. She needed coffee.

Creeping out of her room, the girl took a quick shower before putting on her robes and leaving the Slytherin dormitories behind her. She was halfway across the common room when she heard a voice.

"Going somewhere?" a familiar cool drawl called from the fireplace.

"Draco?" Astoria said in disbelief, looking over at his form, which was splayed across a nearby couch. Draco Malfoy was never up this early in the morning. But then again, neither was she.

"The one and only."

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked, the contempt clear in her voice. He didn't care about her and was making no effort to. He could go to hell, for all she cared.

"What are you?" the boy parried easily, hearing her aggressive tone and choosing to ignore it.

"I was going to go for a walk," she said shortly, her patience wearing thin.

Draco smiled sardonically. "Then I guess I am too."

A week ago, maybe even two days ago, Astoria would've been beyond pleased to be walking alone with Draco Malfoy. Not now. Realizing she had no choice as to whether or not he'd walk with her, she just glared at him and snapped, "If you must."

He stood up and fell in next to her as they walked out of the common room silently. "You're still mad at me."

"No, I'm positively spitting rainbows, Draco. Can't you see them?" the female Slytherin snapped.

"Fine. If you want to be mad, be mad. I don't care anyway."

Draco's words ripped through Astoria's heart. Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere acting like this, she decided to change gears.

"You still haven't answered my question," Astoria said abruptly as they reached the Entrance Hall.

Draco raised his eyebrows at her sudden change of pace. "Which one?"

Astoria sighed. "The obvious one. What were you doing up so early?"

"Pansy and I fought yesterday. She cast a nasty spell on the door of the boy's room that would repel me every time I tried to enter. I ended up sleeping on the couch."

"Serves you right," Astoria said smugly. Draco and Pansy fighting? What would that mean? Astoria internally smacked herself and forced those thoughts out of her mind.

They entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table.

"Well, we've made up now," the boy responded shortly. "Let me guess: you're happy that I'm unhappy because I'm a horrible 'friend' and deserve to wallow in my sadness for the rest of my life."

Astoria's smile was not unlike that of a cat. "Who said we were ever friends?"

They sat in silence until breakfast appeared on their plates, which they happily used as an opportunity to ignore each other.

"'Morning," Pansy said, yawning as she sat down on the other side of Draco and kissed him sleepily. "We have that Herbology test today, right?"

"Oh, shit," Blaise said, sitting across from the three of them. "I didn't study for that at all."

"And no one is surprised," Draco said dryly, receiving an irritated look from his friend.

"Are you ever nice?" Pansy asked him, though her tone wasn't accusatory. In contrast, it was actually worshipful. Astoria resisted the urge to vomit or roll her eyes. What did Pansy become when she was around Draco?

The boy looked at her with a straight face. "I'm nice to most adults. Those with influence, anyway," he said, eying the Hogwarts professors with a look of disdain on his face.

"You're impossible," Blaise muttered, spearing a pancake from Astoria's plate and eating it, causing the girl to wrinkle her nose at him.

"You're not much better," Draco said, leaning back. Suddenly he noticed something in the front of the Hall. He jerked his chin in that general direction. "Ooh, Potter's coming."

Astoria rolled her eyes. Draco said something to the Boy Who Lived that wasn't the least bit funny, yet all his friends laughed and sneered - except for her.

"And the Mudblood!" Draco announced grandly. The Slytherins all howled with laughter.

Astoria decided that she'd had enough. The Slytherins were out of line - as usual. Someone needed to put them in their place. To remind them that they weren't the best.

But then, who was? Astoria scanned the room, and her eyes instantly fell on the perfect person.

"Hermione!" Astoria called, drawing the girl's attention. Draco, Blaise, and Pansy all watched, open-mouthed, as Astoria walked over to the "Mudblood".

She and Hermione had been Potions partners a few times, and Astoria had always found her pleasant and helpful. Not that she could tell anyone that. And apparently, Hermione hadn't told anyone either, because Ron and Harry stood shocked, their expressions very much matching those of the Slytherins'.

"How are you?" Hermione asked brightly, eyes warm.

"Great, and you?" Astoria said, matching her tone.

"Wonderful."

"I heard that you were the only person to get a perfect score on our Potions practical exam the other day. Good job!" she said loudly. Everyone knew that Potions was the Slytherins' subject. _They_ were supposed to get the best marks.

Well, now it was plainly obvious that they weren't.

The Gryffindor flushed. "Thanks for the compliment." Her eyes told Astoria that she fully understood what the girl was doing. Shyly, she added, "I hear the pancakes are especially good today; you'll be happy."

Across the room, but not out of earshot, Draco Malfoy decided enough was enough. This girl, this - _mudblood_ knew more about Astoria than he did.

"Astoria," he said coolly, standing up.

"Yes?" she answered with a fake smile.

"What are you doing?"

"Chatting with my friend," the girl said, deciding to play dumb. Furrowing her eyebrows slightly, she looked at Hermione, who was holding back a smile. "Is there a problem with that?"

Draco grit his teeth. "Yes," he said, eyeing Hermione. Sounding a little strangled, he added, "Can I speak to you in private, Astoria?"


	4. Pathetic

**Hey readers! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Reviews are always appreciated!**

"Of course," Astoria said. "Bye, Hermione." Moving a little closer to the Gryffindor, she whispered, "Thank you so much."

Hermione smirked. "Anytime."

"Now, Astoria," Draco snapped, barely suppressed anger floating dangerously beneath his voice.

Astoria followed him out of the Hall, quite aware that most students' eyes were on her. As soon as the heavy oak doors closed, Draco rounded on her.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he hissed.

Astoria tried for innocence. Batting her eyes in what she hoped was a convincing display of ignorance she said, "I was just saying hi to a friend."

"Drop the act!" Draco snarled, his eyes narrowing. "You knew what you were doing."

"What does it matter if I did?" Astoria said, reverting back to her normal self. His reaction didn't surprise her in the slightest. She felt all of her feelings for this boy ebb away slowly as he spoke, all her hopes that he was maybe hiding a heart of gold hidden under the layers of utter obnoxiousness finally crushed.

"Honestly, you call yourself a pureblood? Allowing yourself to be seen with that filth, what will your parents say? And I was supposed to take care of you, they'll blame me for corrupting you! This is one step away from blood treachery. You don't deserve to be in Slytherin," Draco spat, pacing around Astoria.

"Have you ever considered that maybe I don't want to be in Slytherin?" Astoria whispered, feeling something break inside her. "The most pretentious house, the one that everyone else hates, the one filled with bad people... people like... like you!" She felt tears coming to her eyes but didn't stop. "Everyone tells me it's such an honor! Like I should be proud to be Sorted into the only house with no definable skills! Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuffs are kind, Ravenclaws are intelligent! Slytherins are what," she paused, hiccuping slightly and trying to stop the tremors from reaching her body, "Slytherins are... are good at lying! I guess that is true, because I've been lying the whole time - I don't want to be a pureblood, I don't want to be in Slytherin, I don't want -"

"Stop," Draco warned, voice dangerously low. But there was no stopping Astoria now.

"I don't want to be forced to be friends with you! You are inconsiderate, obnoxious, mean, vain, pretentious, and have no heart!" she finished. Feeling slightly better after having gotten all of her anger out of her system, she stopped hiccuping and slid down the wall to the ground, still shaking and crying slightly.

Draco stood over her, looking angrier than ever. "Take it back. Take it all back, or I will, I swear to God -"

"Do what?" Astoria asked, her lip curling up with a sneer, "Kill me, like all your little Death Eater friends? I'm not scared of you, you pathetic little swine. Leave me alone."

Draco took out his wand. Astoria barely even flinched; she didn't want to go a coward. However, instead of employing the Killing Curse, the blond boy cast a Silencing Charm on the sobbing girl.

"Listen to me," he said roughly. She deliberately looked away. "I said LISTEN TO ME!" he screamed, and her eyes snapped back up to his imposing form. Satisfied, he kneeled down in front of her. "I don't know what's going on with you lately, but whatever it is, you better find a way to resolve it and return to your normal self before I have to check you into the Hospital Wing again for insanity. Who do you think you are, muddying the Slytherin reputation by fraternizing with a Mudblood?" he said. Astoria looked at him.

Then she smacked him.

The blow hit him full in the face, sending him tumbling sideways and breaking the Silencing Charm. The girl produced her wand and shoved it at him.

"I would Obliviate you, but I want to you to remember how completely and utterly I defeated you," she spat, looking down at his writhing form. "Never call anyone a Mudblood again, do you hear me? Oh, stop whimpering, it's pathetic."

She walked off to Transfiguration, drying her tears as she went.

"What the hell happened there, Astoria?" Blaise concern in his eyes, as soon as she entered the Slytherin common room that night. "Draco says you punched him, but I don't believe him."

"I didn't punch him, I slapped him," Astoria said cheerily, sitting down in her seat and stretching her legs.

"Astoria?" Pansy asked.

"Mm?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Never better."

"Because usually, you're in love with Draco Malfoy, not trying to slap him into a million pieces," Pansy said, eyes narrowing slightly at her own mention of Astoria being infatuated with her boyfriend.

"I was never in love with Draco," Astoria said dismissively, waving the thought away. "You're his girlfriend, why would I be in love with him?"

Pansy eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Oh, look, Quidditch season is starting," the raven-haired girl said cheerily, pointing to the announcement on the Slytherin bulletin. Blaise looked extremely worried and Pansy was biting her nails out of anxiety.

Suddenly, the door to the Slytherin common room burst open, causing the trio to jump. Draco stormed in, barely looking at Pansy and Blaise, whose mouths hung open with surprise. Before they could say anything, however, he'd gone, disappearing up the passage to the boys' dormitories.

Other Slytherins had noticed, and soon barrage of whispered gossip filled the room. Astoria heard her name mentioned a couple of times but chose to ignore it. Blaise was still staring at the passage Draco had disappeared down into, his eyes almost glazed over. Pansy was facing the the fireplace, denial written all over her.

Five minutes passed, and then the sound of a door slamming filled the common room. Everyone's heads immediately jerked up, and they watched the passage hungrily. Soon enough, Draco rounded the bend, followed this time by his trunk, which he was levitating behind him. He paused at the entrance to the common room, then walked quickly over to where Astoria, Pansy, and Blaise were sitting.

"Draco, what are you-" Pansy but was cut off as he kissed her roughly.

"Bye, Pansy. I expect I'll see you at the Christmas ball." He turned to Blaise, leaving a shocked Pansy in his wake. "Blaise, you're the closest thing I have to mate. See you around."

"Draco," Astoria began, not believing her eyes.

"I don't talk to filth," he spat, hardly sparing her a glance. With that, he left, his trunk still gliding behind him. The door slammed one more time, and then he was gone.


	5. Forgotten But Not Forgiven

Even though the timeline had been altered and Astoria had never slapped Draco, they were still in a huge fight. The next morning over breakfast, Draco completely ignored Astoria. She didn't mind, though. Her heart would start to race against her will if he talked to her.

"Pansy, tell Astoria to pass the omelets," Draco said loudly to his girlfriend. Astoria rolled her eyes.

"Pansy, tell Draco that he's being an insufferable git."

"Blaise, tell Astoria that Draco thinks her hair looks like a bird's nest - a significant improvement."

"Blaise, tell Draco -"

"Stop it, you two!" Pansy screeched, dragging her fighting friends out into the hallway, Blaise trailing after her. Once Pansy released him from her death grasp, Draco leaned against the wall, regarding Astoria cooly. The girl responded by rolling her eyes at him.

"You guys are driving me mad," Pansy stated firmly.

Draco smirked. "I'm driving _you_ mad, Pansy, Astoria has nothing to do with it -"

"Shut up!" Blaise yelled, shooting a disgusted look at his friend. "What Pansy meant to say is that you guys fighting has gotten really annoying, so please just... um, make up?" he finished weakly.

"I'm not apologizing unless she apologizes," Draco said, jerking his chin at Astoria.

"Way to be childish," Astoria snapped.

Pansy gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "We're not leaving this corridor until you guys are cool again."

"You might want to conjure up some sleeping bags, then, because I've got a feeling we'll be here for awhile," Draco drawled.

"I really want to slap you right now," Astoria said through gritted teeth, ignoring her friends' looks of panic. "But it'd hurt your pride too much, so I won't."

Draco scoffed. "Whatever, Astoria."

Astoria thrust her fists into her pockets in order to stop herself from wiping that smug look off his face. Her hand touched something crumbled and rough; frowning, she pulled it out and saw it was the note Draco had left her before she'd changed the timeline.

 _I do care about you very much. - Malfoy_

 _Great way of showing it,_ Astoria thought to herself. "Five hundred butterbeers on the wall, five hundred butterbeers... take one down, pass it around, four hundred and ninety-nine butterbeers on the wall..." she sang quietly to herself.

Draco's eye twitched. "Fine, fine, I apologize, only because she's being so bloody annoying."

Astoria beamed. "Wonderful. I accept your apology."

"Oi! Where are you going?" Draco yelled after her, watching her jog down the hall.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the girl called back. As soon as she turned a corner and was out of sight, she slowed her place. The stars were beginning to appear again; now would be a horrible time to faint. She was almost there...

Little did she know someone else was following her, lurking in the shadows.

She collapsed on a hospital bed, and everything went dark.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Astoria asked, tentatively stepping into the woman's office five minutes later.

"Oh! Sorry, dear, I almost forgot you were coming! Well, let's get you to St. Mungo's..." the healer threw some green powder into her fireplace, and they Flooed to the wizard hospital.

Once they'd been directed to the correct floor, Madam Pomfrey got the girl set up in a small waiting room and said Astoria should send a Patronus when the examination was finished and she'd be back to pick her up. So Astoria was left, waiting, in a foreign place all on her own. The room was white on white on white, with a slightly light blue examination bed. Astoria was about to leave when a knock sounded on the door.

"Miss Astoria Greengrass?" a pleasant voice sounded from outside. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," the girl said timidly. She tried to slow her breathing and make the anxiety-caused stomachache go away to no avail.

A young woman entered the room. She had a tan complexion and beautiful, almost hazel, eyes. She held a clipboard with a Self-Writing Quill already working away. "Okay. Blood curse, right?" Astoria nodded and the healer bit her lip. "Well, not much to stop the curse entirely. Though..." she rummaged through a drawer filled with books, chose one, and read something quickly. "We can slow down its effects. One extremely complicated charm to add regular magic blood to your veins, maybe?"

Astoria shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

The Healer smiled. "Wonderful, then! I'll let your school Healer know what you're doing. Any questions?"

"How long do I have?" Astoria blurted out. She thought of Daphne crying, Draco's note...

The healer's face fell. "Well, there's no real way to know for sure. But we caught the curse nice and early - it probably took hold only a few months ago. That'll give you more time. For people with no treatment, the curse usually kills them within a few years of it taking hold. So you won't be gone tomorrow."

Astoria gulped. "Thank you."

The healer nodded. "I need to do a bit more research before we can start the treatment. I'll see you back here next week."

The girl nodded, and the healer left.

Astoria went back to school.

As soon as she stepped through the doors to the hospital wing, though, she realized she had a problem. Draco was standing by the doors, looking very annoyed.

"What do you want?" Astoria snapped at him, starting to walk towards the common room. He jogged up to her and started to walk beside her.

"Why were you in there?" he asked, voice lower than usual.

"Is Draco Malfoy concerned about the poor little Muggle-lover?" Astoria said, throwing in a fake pout for good measure.

"Shut it. You're sick," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, come on. Of course I'm not." The lie slid easily through Astoria's teeth.

"Then why were you in the infirmary? Infirmary has the word infirm in it, which means weak and not well."

"Wow, I'm blown away by your powers of deduction," Astoria said, walking faster. Draco caught up with her easily. Giving up, she turned to him. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"

His eyebrows creased. "What do you mean, all of a sudden?"

"Um, hello? Yesterday you were calling me a disgrace to purebloods everywhere, remember?"

"Right. Well, um, I was thinking, and I - I just want you to know that I really do care about you. A lot," he added nonchalantly, though his cheeks were burning. Astoria gasped - it was almost the exact same thing as what he'd said in his note. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks," Astoria said, giving him a weak smile and reminding herself that he was a horrible person, even if he did have his finer moments. He was Astoria's antithesis: cold, mean, arrogant.

She wouldn't allow herself to like him.

"You're welcome," Draco said, reverting back to his normal, crisp self. "So what were you doing in the hospital wing?"

"I guess you'll never know," Astoria said dramatically as they entered the Slytherin common room. He narrowed his eyes at her but didn't continue to push the subject, something Astoria was very glad for. After all, in her mind, if the blood curse wasn't an immediate threat, why even bring it up? If she did, she knew she'd be treated differently, pitied.

She could think of no worse fate.

The Slytherin turned back to Draco, whose face was smashed into Pansy's. Sighing, she shouldered her bag and started on her homework. When she was done with that, she moved on to the book the healer had left in her examination room on blood curses.

If she was going to die from something, better to at least know why.


	6. Broomsticks

**hey, guys! how are you enjoying the story so far? lemme know :)**

Astoria's homework took about five seconds to do. Looking around for her other friends, she saw that Blaise was writing a Charms essay and Pansy and Draco were still making out by the fireplace. Rolling her eyes at them, she left the common room, intending to wander around until her mind was cleared.

"Astoria!"

The girl turned around. Somebody was calling her name. Soon enough, she spotted Hermione Granger at the end of the hall, walking towards her.

"Hi," Astoria greeted. The girl nodded and started to walk alongside Astoria.

"What're you doing here?"

"Trying to clear my head," Astoria responded easily. She could tell that Hermione had something else on her mind.

"What happened when Draco took you out of the room at breakfast a few days ago? Did you get hurt?" the Gryffindor asked, biting her lip.

Astoria shrugged. "He just yelled at me. I almost slapped _him_ , though."

The other laughed. "I get what you mean. Sometimes I feel like I could slap Ron."

Blushing, the Slytherin said, "We're not, um, dating... Draco and I, I mean."

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I just assumed..." Hermione looked extremely flustered.

"It's okay. Haven't you noticed the way Pansy is draped over him in public?" Astoria couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Astoria's tone but didn't urge her to elaborate. Instead, she said, "I slapped Malfoy once."

Astoria stopped in her tracks and stared at her. "What? When?"

The girl chuckled. "Third year. He deserved it."

"He probably did," Astoria conceded. Talking to Hermione was so easy.

Suddenly, the girl turned to her, curiosity in her eyes. "Why do you need to clear your head?"

An irrestistable urge came over her. An urge to tell the truth. "I have a blood curse."

"Oh," Hermione said, looking down. "Does anyone know?"

"Only you and my sister, so please don't tell anyone," Astoria said. Hermione looked a little honored and a little scared. "I have to go to St. Mungo's once a week. They're trying to delay its effects. I have at least a few years."

"Oh," Hermione said again. Then, she looked up. "Well, do you need any help?"

"Help?" the dark haired girl asked, confused.

"Yeah, help. Do you need to know more about the curse, or how to stop it? There has to be something..." she mused. Suddenly, she tugged on Astoria's arm. "Come on, we're going to the library."

Astoria chuckled and followed her.

A few hours later, Astoria returned to the common room. Her friends were still there, except they were playing Wizard Chess. Within seconds, Draco and Pansy had won against Blaise. The black queen smashed the white king, and the game was declared officially over.

"Hey, guys," Astoria said, walking to the group.

"Hi, Astoria," Pansy and Blaise said. Draco continued to ignore her. She rolled her eyes.

"We were about to go to the Quidditch pitch, want to join us?" Blaise asked. She nodded eagerly. She'd loved Quidditch since she was a child. She wasn't halfway bad, either. Then, she realized she was feeling really, really tired. And the stars were coming back. Maybe going on a broom while she was feeling faint wasn't a good idea.

"Oh, you know what? I have to do a lot of homework and I'm really sleepy, so maybe I should just stay here..."

"Okay. Don't work too hard," Blaise said, winking at her as he left the room.

"Draco? You coming?" Pansy asked suspiciously.

"I need to talk to Astoria about our Herbology test last week," the boy lied easily. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Pansy nodded, shot one last nervous look at Astoria, and followed Blaise out. As soon as the wall had reformed behind them, Draco looked at the remaining girl. "Astoria, you-"

"I'm going to bed," Astoria said quickly, collecting her things and starting to walk up the staircase to the Girls' dormitories. She felt his stare on her and ordered herself not to look back. As the stars got bigger and bigger, and the world got darker and darker, the girl felt her way to a bed - any bed, she didn't care which - and crashed, surrendering herself to the darkness.

Draco finished up his Herbology test corrections a few minutes later and gathered his things, ready to retire to the boys' dormitories. Halfway up the staircase leading to them, however, the boy stopped and changed tracks. He'd just check on her, make sure she was okay...

He must be quiet, though, or else he'd be facing Merlin's fury when she woke up...

Arriving at the Girls' dorms, he cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. If Astoria saw him like this...

She was sound asleep on... Pansy's bed? Why? It was closest to the door, yes, but was she really so tired that she couldn't walk another two feet to get to her own bed? And her breathing was weird, too. Her chest was rising and falling much more quickly and irregularly than usual...

Suddenly, she stirred.

Draco ran.


	7. A Broken Deal

**Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter. As always, tell me what you think!**

Astoria woke up suddenly enough to see the end of a black robe leave the door frame and her point of view.

Draco had been there.

As the realization washed over her, Astoria felt a strange urge to smile widely. Pinching herself, she exited the girls' dormitory and walked into the common room. Seeing that only twenty minutes had passed, the girl grabbed her schoolbag off a nearby table and pulled out her partially completed Divination essay.

"That was a short nap," Draco said, sitting down next to her.

"Don't you have more important things to do than monitor my sleep schedule?" Astoria asked irritably.

"If you weren't dreaming about me, you weren't dreaming, as I always say."

"I don't think that's how it works," Astoria said distractedly. It was easy not to blush when there were so many other things on her mind.

He cocked his head to the side. "You have a problem."

"That's offensive."

He rolled his eyes. "You're sick, Astoria."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Astoria said, flipping her hair and continuing to write.

Draco put his hand on her parchment and slid it away from her. Ignoring her protests, he rolled the essay up and stuffed it in her bag. "You keep running off to 'sleep'. You're paler than usual - which I didn't think was possible, by the way - and you keep visiting the hospital wing."

Astoria turned to face him, trying to hide her panic. She didn't know he was this perceptive. "I'm tired so I take miniature naps. As for me being pale, you know as well as I do that being pale is completely normal for me. I was at the hospital because Madam Pomfrey needed to check up on me after the fight a week ago. Remember? It was the one that you forced me to be in."

Draco ignored her last bitter remarks and continued to stare at her. Finally, he said, "You're sick and you know it. And the sooner you admit it, the sooner I can help you."

"That's not needed," Astoria said. _There's nothing you can do to help_.

"I know you're lying."

"I need to finish my essay, Draco," Astoria said. "Can you please leave me alone?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Leave you alone now or forever?"

He was testing her. He knew she had feelings for him. He knew she'd want to spend as much time with him as possible. That was what the old Astoria would've wanted. To stray from that course of action would be a dead giveaway. So even though Astoria didn't want to see him for the rest of her life (or, at least, _most_ of her didn't), Astoria said, "You're still my friend, Draco."

He smiled easily, but the suspicion was still there. "In that case, let's walk around the castle grounds tomorrow. Away from the hospital wing, since you don't need it."

Astoria sighed and nodded. It would take more than just acting lovesick to convince him that nothing was wrong.

She walked down to the lake the next morning, trying to ignore the stars bursting around her head.

"You're late," Draco called from his seat in front of a tall tree. Astoria rolled her eyes and sat down, hoping the action would dim the exploding stars that were becoming more and more prominent. Draco eyed her tie. "Your tie isn't done correctly."

"I really don't care."

Wordlessly, he started to undo it and retie it the correct way, eyes never leaving hers. "There."

"Thanks."

They were really close now, almost close enough to be touching, and Draco kept leaning in closer. He put his arm around her back -

"Why are you flirting with me?" Astoria asked, leaning back. Draco cursed under his breath.

"You've always wanted me to, haven't you?" he murmured, pulling her closer to him again. "I'll keep doing it if you tell me why you've been acting so strangely lately..."

The stars in her head were reappearing, surrounding him in a glittery glow. Astoria was so mad she was shaking, but she couldn't speak. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and then fell into the boy, who took this as a sign that he should kiss her.

Then everything went black.

When she woke up, Draco was still staring at her, dumbfounded.

"What the hell?" she spat, standing up too quickly and staggering back down. The stars were gone, but her vision was still spotty - the blood had rushed to her head.

"You're ill," Draco said, helping her lean against a tree.

"Of course not," Astoria said, tilting her head up and staring at the sky.

"Will you just drop the act? I know you're sick, there's no use lying to me."

"Why did you just kiss me?"

"Why did you just faint?"

"Because you just kissed me!" Astoria shouted. Luckily there was no one else around to hear their outburst.

"Stop lying to me!" Draco yelled, matching her tone. He was mad - as mad as he'd been after she'd talked to Hermione in the dining hall.

Astoria decided there was only one way to coax the answer out of him. "I'll tell you why I've been running off if you tell me why you kissed me."

Draco nodded, lips pursed. "Fine."

"So, why did you -"

"Because I thought you'd tell me what was going on if I kissed you," he said, smirking.

Astoria rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have expected anything else."

"And it worked," he said, looking even more satisfied.

"Never mind, I've decided not to tell you," Astoria said, smiling widely. No way would she tell him what was going on with her if he only kissed her to get information. She'd always wanted to kiss him, but not because of that.

Draco groaned. "We had an agreement, Astoria."

"Did we? Did we shake hands or make an Unbreakable Vow? And aren't Slytherins known for their cunning nature?"

Draco thought for a minute. "If I kiss you, you'll change your mind."

Astoria scoffed. "As if."

He was leaning closer now, and she inhaled suddenly. Then, he drew back.

"I guess it didn't work," he said.

"You didn't even kiss me!" Astoria stuttered.

"If you tell me what's going on, I will."

She shook her head, gathered her things, and started to leave. "Nice try, Draco."

He hurried after her. "Don't tell Pansy!" he called at her receding form.

"No promises," Astoria shouted back, chuckling as she heard him curse. Shaking her head (and deciding _not_ to tell Pansy, for fear of her life), the girl walked back to the common room.


	8. A Broken Heart (pt I)

Draco came into the common room some hours later, shooting Astoria a furious glance as he stalked over to Pansy, kissed her, and then left for the boys' dormitory.

"What was that all about?" Pansy asked, walking over to where Astoria was sitting (having just completed her Divination essay, finally). "Don't tell me he's mad at you again."

"He is."

"I can't have my best friend and my boyfriend fighting, Astoria! You better make nice with him, now."

"You mean right now?" Astoria asked, panic flitting across her face.

"Yeah, right now," Pansy confirmed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Why now? Why not later?"

"Because I don't want to be the messenger between you two, and it's almost dinner time. Come on, Astoria, do it for me."

Astoria rolled her eyes and got up. "Fine. But only for you."

She dragged herself to the boys' dormitories and knocked on the door. There was no response.

"I'm coming in, so everybody better be ready!" she yelled into the door. After waiting ten seconds, she entered. Draco was there, alone, waiting for her.

"Pansy told me to apologize to you," Astoria said flatly, lingering in the doorway. "Because you're mad at me, so it's obviously my fault."

Draco nodded. "It is."

"Why?" Astoria asked, trying to keep the suddenly rising anger out of her voice.

"Because you said you'd tell me what was going on with you and you didn't!" Draco shouted.

"Did we make a deal, Draco? Words don't mean anything." Astoria said shortly, her eyes narrowing. "You should know that."

He slammed a fist against a nearby bedpost. "You are so difficult," he moaned. "Just tell me what's going on and I'll leave you alone forever."

"Really?" Astoria asked incredulously.

He nodded, his jaw set.

"Well, what's going on with me is..." she shifted her feet. She could feel his eyes on her, waiting. "What's wrong with me is that you're really annoying me." Flashing him a quick smile, she fled towards the door, only to feel an arm wrap around her waist.

"That's not true. You're lying!" the boy said, holding her firmly against him. "Tell me why you've been going to the hospital wing, why you've been fainting, why you're avoiding me!" his voice became louder and louder as he spoke.

Realizing it was fruitless to continue to struggle, Astoria was about to go limp and consider another tactic when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

Just like that, a plan fell into her head. She started to struggle again with renewed effort. "Let go of me!" she screamed. "I don't like you!"

Before Draco could finish asking what the bloody hell she was up to now, the door to the boy's dormitories was flung open, and Pansy Parkinson stood in its place, breathing heavily. She took in the situation with her beady eyes, which finally came to a rest on where the two stood, Draco's arm around Astoria's waist. The other girl watched as she made the mental calculations, thinking back to Astoria's shouts on the stairwell: "I don't like you!" "Let go of me!".

"Draco. What the hell are you doing?" Pansy finally said, her voice brittle. Astoria felt Draco's hold on her waist slacken, and she slid out of his grip, making sure to look overly relieved before she skittered to Pansy's side.

"He tried to kiss me," Astoria said, pointing at the stricken boy.

Pansy wheeled on him. "Is that true?"

Draco's shock paralyzed him, just as Astoria had intended. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Shooting him a satisfied grin from over Pansy's shoulder, the cunning girl left the room, knowing that Pansy would never let Draco within ten feet of Astoria again. No more questioning. She only hoped that Pansy wouldn't take her anger out on her.

But when the shouting started a few minutes later, Astoria doubted Pansy would have any anger left for her to take out on.


	9. A Broken Heart (pt II)

The next morning, Pansy woke Astoria up as usual. There was something different in her stare, however. She looked as if she'd aged a thousand years in a night. (It didn't suit her.)

Astoria tried to stay out of her way, leaving for breakfast before the other girl did and sitting with Daphne instead of Blaise. When Pansy sat down next to her, though, Astoria knew the jig was up. She was about to find out what had happened, whether she liked it or not.

"We broke up."

Astoria put her fork down. "Oh, Pansy... I'm so sorry," she said, comforting her friend.

"I broke up with him," Pansy continued, casting a forlorn look towards the blond boy eating at the opposite end of the Slytherin table. "Because of you."

Astoria swallowed her eggs quickly and looked at her friend. "Wait, what?"

"He's always around you. He follows you everywhere and practically ignores me whenever you're in the room. And he tried to kiss you, Astoria! I can't be with him if he's secretly in love with my bes- my friend," Pansy said. The quick correction at the end of her explanation stung, but Astoria knew it was merited. She hadn't exactly told Pansy that this hadn't been the first time she and Draco had almost kissed...

"Let me explain," she protested, growing more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Her offer didn't work like it was supposed to, however. Astoria witnessed with dismay as Pansy's expression changed from one of misery to one of anger.

"You don't need to, Astoria. I always knew you liked him, but I'd never have guessed he actually liked you back," she spat, starting to collect her things and leave the Great Hall.

"Wait!" Astoria said, picking up her bag and following her friend. As soon as the doors to the Great Hall were closed behind them, Astoria grabbed her friend's shoulder. "Please, just let me talk for five minutes. Then you never have to speak to me again, I promise."

Pansy nodded slightly, avoiding Astoria's eyes.

"Draco keeps following me because he thinks I'm sick and wants to help me. I kept telling him nothing was wrong and to stop following me but he wouldn't. That's also why he tried to kiss me, actually," Astoria admitted guiltily. "He thought that I'd tell him anything if he kissed me because I've always liked him." She'd never outright told Pansy that she liked Draco before, and the atmosphere grew more awkward with every word. "I wouldn't let him because you guys were dating and I'd never do that to you. Please believe me, Pansy. You know I'd never intentionally hurt you."

Pansy sighed. "Just stay away from me for a little while, Astoria. I need space. But be happy we're still friends... that'll change if I see you with Draco, I promise."

Astoria sighed in relief. "I don't want to be near him either -"

"Just go!" Pansy shrieked, and Astoria immediately left, feeling even more awful than before. She'd gotten Draco off her back but almost lost a friend in the process.

Lost in her thoughts, Astoria didn't even realize where she was going until she arrived.

Opening the doors to the library, the girl stepped cautiously inside and looked around. It was empty besides from a few stressed-out looking seventh years in the back. Even Madam Pince was still at breakfast.

If she wanted to do research, this would be the time...

As she made her way over to the Restricted section, her footsteps seeming to thud on the floor, her heartbeat picked up considerably. She wasn't _allowed_ here. She'd never been one to break rules.

And yet her thoughts vanished when she saw _Blood Curses: A History_. Sliding it out of the shelf, she opened it and started to read:

T _he first blood curse, otherwise known as the Sitherslippings curse (named for the family it was inflicted on) started with a feud between Damascus Dark and Francine Sitherslippings. wished to punish Francine for not wanting to marry him, so he devised a new spell that bears much resemblance to the modern blood curse: a fatal, moving curse that slowly saps all the energy out of the victim, eventually rendering them weak and useless, before they die. The curse popped up every few generations._

 _When Damascus made the curse public in his book Blood Curses: The Way to Make Your Enemy Pay!, it grew in popularity. However, most perpetrators of the blood curse weren't magically talented enough to perform it completely, so in many instances, the curse wouldn't reappear every few generations or wasn't fatal. However, there are some notable blood curses that still exist today. The Werthy curse is incredibly famous for the amount of pain it inflicts on its victims. The Greengrass curse is perhaps the longest surviving curse ever, famous for making its victims incredibly well-liked so their deaths cause terrible pain within the whole family. The Fey curse is_

Astoria slammed the book shut, causing it to emit a puff of smoke into the air. She couldn't bear to read anymore, not after the section on her curse. Incredibly well liked? What did that even mean?

If she were a recipient of the blood curse, and it made its victims "incredibly well liked", then did that mean...

Did that mean that the charm she had over people was all the blood curse's doing? Who _was_ she actually, if her personality was a product of this spell?

 _Don't be silly, Astoria. Madam Pomfrey said it only took hold a few months ago._

But it could've been there longer, inactive, making her into the person she was today, preparing her to die in the most painful way possible...

"What are you reading?"

Astoria turned around to see Draco staring down at the book in her hands. Slamming it shut, she rotated fully to face him. "Nothing that concerns you."

Draco snatched the book from her and held it teasingly above her head. " _Blood Curses: A History_." He looked at her and smirked. "Doing some light reading, I suppose?"Astoria nodded vehemently. "Or is it more serious?" The girl shook her head. He ignored her.

"Isn't there a Greengrass blood curse?" Draco mused, eyes narrowing.

"Is there?" Astoria said, trying to keep a straight face. "I wasn't aware."

Suddenly, Draco slammed the book back into its place on the shelf, causing Astoria to jump back in surprise. Seething, the boy looked at her. "You didn't tell me?" he hissed. "You didn't tell me you have a _blood curse_? Astoria, do you know how serious this is?"

Astoria gave up. "Yeah, I think I do."

Draco looked at her for a second. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, voice hurt.

"The great Draco Malfoy doesn't care about anyone or anything else, isn't that right?" Astoria snapped, starting to collect her things.

"How many times do I have to tell you I care about you?" the boy shouted after her. "How many times do I have to reaffirm that I was worried sick when you kept fainting, that I did everything I could to find out what was going on with you? That I spent so many nights in the library searching up illnesses and cures? How many times, Astoria?"

The girl stopped and turned around for a second. "Just the one."

"Then stay here! We'll - we'll find something before the curse..." he ran his hand through his hair. Astoria had never seen him like this. She hated it.

"Makes me 'weak and useless'? 'Saps all the energy out of its victim'? It's too late, Draco. You better distance yourself from me now before you get a reputation of hanging out with the meek."

She left. Cursing loudly (and tripping over the wire at the entrance to the Restricted Section) he chased after her.

The girl was gone.

"How are you?" Daphne asked, sitting down next to her forlorn-looking sister.

"I don't know. Draco found out about the curse last night," Astoria whispered. They were sitting in the Great Hall. Pansy was ignoring them, as usual, and Draco was nowhere to be found. No one bothered to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Daphne's eyes grew wide. "How?"

"He found me researching it in the library last night and put two and two together."

"I hear he broke up with Pansy a few days ago," Daphne said, creasing her brows and casually looking towards the subject of her talk.

Astoria frowned. "I thought she broke up with him."

"If she broke up with him, why would she be this sad?" Daphne countered.

"Because he tried to cheat on her?" Astoria said, looking at Pansy, who was staring longingly at Draco.

"She was ready to forget all of that, but he called it quits," Daphne said.

"How do you know?"

"Pansy told Millicent who told me."

"Oh," Astoria said, gulping. Why had Draco broken up with Pansy?

Then, she thought back to everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Draco visiting her in the hospital wing. Following her, trying to find out what was wrong.

The kiss at the lake. How he'd held her closer than he needed to the night before when he wanted her to tell him why she'd been fainting...

 _"What are you going to say next? That my eyes are brown?"_

 _"Hazel, actually_."

Astoria knew at once why he'd broken up with Pansy.

And she was furious.


	10. Silence

**Hello, my intrepid readers! How are you enjoying the story so far? Who's your favorite character? Send me a review with your answers!**

Astoria waited until Pansy had left the dining room before talking to Draco again. When the humongous doors had finally swung closed behind the sad girl, Astoria tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"We need to talk."

He looked up from his eggs. "Now?"

Astoria nodded, and he followed her out of the Great Hall.

"What do we need to talk about? Is this about the curse, or -"

"Can you please stop flirting with me?" Astoria blurted out.

Draco's face immediately hardened. "I'm not flirting with you."

"Then why have you been acting so different?" Astoria asked quietly.

"Because I'm concerned about you," he said. Lowering his voice, he added, "you're sick and you refuse to tell anyone."

"Since when do you care? You're Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince! You don't have friends, you have groupies, remember? You hate the world," Astoria continued, "and everyone in it."

"I don't hate you," he said.

"You should. You should hate me because I don't say the word Mublood, hate me because I don't want to be in Slytherin -"

"I don't hate you," he repeated, running a tired hand through his hair. "I keep trying, but I can't."

"Since when did you say things like that?" Astoria shrieked. "Be cold, sarcastic and mean again."

"Why?"

"Because I know what to expect from that Draco. This Draco is a completely different person."

Draco looked hurt. "I don't want to be mean to you," he whispered.

"I - I don't like you," Astoria lied. "Please stop pursuing me. Please stop caring about me. It's not how things are supposed to work."

He looked at her for a second and nodded curtly. "Fine."

Clasping his hands behind his back, he reentered the Great Hall. Astoria watched him go, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She'd done the right thing.

But why did it feel so wrong?

"He's rebounded already," Pansy whispered scathingly to Astoria the next evening. Word had gotten out that Draco and Astoria had had a fight, and since then, Pansy had warmed back up to her former friend. They were currently sitting in the Great Hall, watching Draco and Millicent at the other end of the Slytherin table.

Astoria almost choked on her roast. "He has?"

Pansy frowned at his back. "Yeah. I'm glad I broke up with him."

Astoria marveled at how confidently her friend told the lie. "I'm glad for you, too," she said lamely and returned to her dinner.

Astoria finished her homework in the library, knowing that Pansy would be in the Slytherin common room eviscerating Draco. Astoria told herself that she didn't want to hear him be insulted because it would mess with her concentration, but deep down she knew there was more to it.

When her eyelids started to drop from exhaustion, however, the girl knew she'd have to face the common room. Packing up her things, she walked back to the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories.

"Pureblood," she whispered. The wall melted away for her and she stepped into the common room.

What she saw made her stand in the same place longer than she was supposed to.

Draco and Millicent were sitting on the couch facing the entrance, making out. His arm was draped around her back, and she was leaning into him so much that they were on the verge of tipping over. Foolishly, Astoria wondered what Draco saw in her. Millicent wasn't even that pretty and had earned a reputation of being one of the most awfully tempered girls in the house. _He could do so much better_ , Astoria thought. Then, she shook her head slightly. She told Draco not to express any interest in her. He had the right to do anything he wanted.

The boy caught her eye over Millicent's shoulder, taking in her shocked expression. Keeping eye contact with the startled girl, he deepened the kiss.

Astoria wrinkled her nose and broke eye contact. Decidedly looking anywhere but that couch, she crossed the common room and went up to the dormitories, Draco filling every inch of her brain. Why would he do that? He'd always hated Millicent.

Unless... unless he was trying to make her jealous. In that case, Astoria had to pretend to endorse their relationship full heartedly. Act like it didn't disgust her.

Show Draco that she really didn't like him, even though she absolutely did.

"This is a common treatment in Muggle hospitals," her healer, Matilda, said, inserting a long needle into Astoria's arm.

"Really?" Astoria asked, trying not to wince as the needle started pumping blood. She tried to think of the Great Lake, where her classmates were undoubtedly sulking around right now...

"Yes. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best," Matilda said, smiling at the young girl.

"I guess so," Astoria said stiffly, trying to match the healer's enthusiasm.

"I think Muggles are underrated. They're simply fascinating, don't you think?"

"I agree." Astoria paused, wondering if she should share this information with the cheery-eyed nurse. Making her decision, she said cautiously, "I've been fainting a lot this past week, once or twice a day..."

"Common side effect," Matilda said, tone becoming a little less cavalier. "Ginger often helps. I can have the Hogwarts kitchen make cookies for you with every meal?"

Astoria winced. "Is there anything, um, a little less obvious?"

Realization dawned on Matilda's face. "Of course, dear. I'll cook something up for you by next week."

"Thank you," the relieved girl said gratefully.

Draco was waiting for her outside the hospital.

"What the hell, Draco? I told you to stay away from me," Astoria said as soon as she saw him.

He scoffed. "I would never wait for you. Millicent is visiting a friend and I'm waiting for her." He checked Astoria's face for a reaction. Seeing none, he tried to hurt her more. "And don't call me Draco, blood traitor."

Despite the fact that Astoria wasn't a blood traitor and wouldn't care if she was, his last remark hurt her, though she didn't show it. "Say hi to Millicent for me," she said, giving Draco an angelic smile.

His mouth fell open in shock. Having succeeded in annoying him, the girl chuckled and walked away.

Once her back was turned to him, the boy's expression changed from disgust to concern. Eyeing her arm, where a tiny prick still showed on the inside of her elbow, he furrowed his brow. She was going somewhere - he'd looked inside the hospital repeatedly as soon as she'd entered its doors. Millicent was in the Slytherin common room eagerly awaiting his arrival.

But where would she go? Where could she get treatment for such an obscure illness?

The puzzle pieces fell together with a deafening crash.

She was going to St. Mungo's.

Her illness was worse than he thought.

Curling his hands into fists, he resolved to help her in any way he could, whether she wanted him to or not.


	11. Research

**review and enjoy!**

Draco yawned and turned the next page of the massive book lying open before him. Slumping his head into his hand, he blinked a few times and kept reading. Once he reached the end of a passage, he slammed the book closed, stuffed it in his bag, and stood up wearily. The library clock said it was ten past two in the morning. He'd been here for three hours and had found nothing on the treatment of blood curses.

He stumbled over something in the dark as he walked towards the library doors. Pointing his lantern down at the silhouette, he saw Astoria lying asleep on the floor, arms sprawled across her chest, a book randomly placed a few paces away. Suddenly the girl squirmed at the sudden light shining on her. Panicking, Draco blew out the lantern and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The boy ran a hand through his hair and gently scooped her up, hefting his book under his arm with a small grunt. Not opening her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and squirmed slightly. Draco froze.

They were so close that their noses were almost touching. His breath hitched slightly, and he pinched his arm. _Stop it_ , he told himself. _Just take her back to the common room and don't wake her up._

Levitating his bag with his wand, he made his way back slowly to the dungeons. The girl only stirred twice, and both times her eyes never opened.

"Pureblood," the boy whispered at the dungeon wall. He watched as it seemed to melt into thin air, giving him entry to the Slytherin common room. Stepping inside, he was relieved to find it empty. He set the sleeping girl down on a nearby couch as gently as possible, wrapped a blanket around her to keep her warm, and went to bed.

Astoria woke up in a panic. She needed to get out of the library before Madam Pince (who'd given her special permission to be there after hours) realized the subject of her research. She reached for her book and hit something hard but springy. Looking around, she realized she was on a couch in the Slytherin common room with her book turned cover-side down on a table next to her.

"Look, the Slytherin Princess has finally woken up," a mocking voice said from behind her. She sat up and turned around to see Draco sitting somewhere else with a book in hand.

Astoria grit her teeth. "And the Slytherin Prince is reading? I didn't know you knew how."

He scoffed. "You don't know a lot of things, Greengrass."

She furrowed her brow and turned away.

"Too cowardly to reply?" he jeered at her back.

"Well, maybe I am, considering the last time I was forced to fight I was Stunned and my life went to hell!" Astoria said angrily before stomping up the stairs with her blanket and book in tow.

The boy sunk exasperatedly into his chair. He was getting nowhere with her, nowhere at all.

And now she had his blanket.

"Whose blanket is that?" Pansy asked curiously from across the Girl's Dormitory.

"I don't know," Astoria admitted. "I was in the library and I woke up back here with a blanket wrapped around me. Maybe it's Madam Pince's?"

Pansy walked closer and took a look at it, her expression changing from one of curiosity to disgust. "Stop lying to me, Astoria."

"What are you talking about?" the other said nervously, backing away slowly from the angry girl.

"You were with _him_ , and you don't even have the basic human decency to tell me?" Pansy shrieked.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Astoria protested.

"Or maybe you thought I was stupid enough not to notice it?"

"Can you please just tell me what's going on?" the pale girl begged.

"What a great friend you are," Pansy sneered, advancing on her. "That's Draco Malfoy's blanket, though I don't need to tell you that, you slut."

"Please - you've made a mistake -"

Pansy slapped her. Astoria recoiled and stared up in horror at her friend.

"Get out of here! Go, go run back to _him_! And don't -" the yelling girl sobbed slightly -"don't _ever_ think I'll treat you nicely again!"

Astoria ran back into the Slytherin common room, vision blurry from tears. She didn't even realize where she was going until -

"What are you doing?" Draco hissed. The girl had tackled him to the ground and was now punching him in the chest.

She blinked. "Oh, I..."

"Get off of me."

Her eyes – they really were stunning – opened and closed again. "Of course. Sorry..."

Somewhere to Draco's left, Millicent snorted. "Poor Asty. Someone slaps her and she comes running to my boyfr-"

"Someone slapped you?" Draco yelled at the girl, who was now staring daggers at his "girlfriend".

"Millicent's right. It's not a huge deal. Just another day in Slytherin house," Astoria said, and the boy could detect the bitterness in her voice.

He jerked his head in the direction of the exit. "Outside. Now." She followed him questioningly. Once they'd reached an empty corridor, she sat down against the wall, looking utterly defeated. Draco couldn't bear to see her that way, even though it hurt him to admit it. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't want your help, Draco," the girl said, looking away. Draco felt a strange sense of deja vu - they'd been in this position before when Astoria had talked to the mudblood and he'd made her leave the Great Hall so that he could yell at her in private. She'd been just as fierce then, but he'd been so dumb.

"I'm sorry, but Merlin knows I'm helping you damn well anyway." He sat down next to her. "So are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to find out another way?"

She sighed, still not looking at him. Finally, she said in a flat voice, "Pansy saw that I had your blanket and got the wrong idea. She slapped me." The girl paused for a second, then turned to the boy. "You know, none of this would've happened unless you'd just stay out of my business, Draco. Why did you have to carry me back last night? I could've managed myself perfectly well. How many friends are you going to cost me before you learn that I don't want your help?" Drying her tears determinedly, she got up abruptly and left, leaving him to stare after her until she turned the corner and fell out of his sight.

What had he done?


	12. The True Meaning of Sacrifice

"A ball, students. The crowning jewel of the Hogwarts experience that occurs in a student's seventh year." McGonagall's lips were pursed as she surveyed the crowd of seventh years pointedly. "All manners and dancing must be practiced to perfection." Another glance, this time aimed at the boys. "A special trip to Hogsmeade will be used solely for the purpose of ordering attire." From the Gryffindor table, Ron Weasley let out a loud sigh of relief. Glancing at him disapprovingly, the Professor silently scanned the rest of the parchment hovering in front of her. "That would be all. Dismissed."

The Hall erupted into chatter. Astoria turned to Pansy to ask about her dress before remembering that the girl had slapped her. Sighing, she looked around for other options. Daphne was talking to Millicent. Blaise would be a valid option if he wasn't deep in conversation with Draco Malfoy.

And those were all her friends. One had slapped her, one was talking to a girl Draco was using to make Astoria jealous, one was talking to Draco, and one _was_ Draco. She'd never realized how little her friend group was. Still, she'd never needed more friends. They'd all been tightly knit, constantly talking and helping each other. Now, The Group was fractured.

All because of that godforsaken Slytherin prince. If Draco hadn't been stupid enough to care for Astoria, Pansy wouldn't have slapped her. If Draco hadn't used Millicent to make Astoria jealous, Daphne would be approachable. If Draco hadn't been so damn smart - realizing that she was hosting the blood curse - maybe she'd still consider him a friend. Or at least someone she could talk to.

Sighing, she started to walk towards the huge oak doors that led out of the Great Hall. She stopped when she heard her name. Turning around, she found Hermione Granger walking up to her quickly, apparently having given Harry Potter and Ron Weasley the slip. "Everyone else is distracted. I need to tell you something." The determined girl didn't wait for an answer, grabbing the startled Slytherin's wrist and practically dragging her out of the Great Hall.

"What is this about?" Astoria panted as they raced down empty corridors and passed old classrooms. She didn't think she'd ever been in this section of the castle before.

"I did some research," the Gryffindor said as if those words were enough to convince her companion that what she was about to show her was important. "And what I found is really interesting. You see, there's only been one person to have ever gotten rid of the blood curse. I forget the name at the moment..." Astoria chuckled at this; she'd never known Hermione to forget anything. The other cleared her throat and continued. "He did it by getting someone else to take the curse on instead of him."

This took a moment to sink in. Finally, Astoria faced Hermione, eyes full of tears. How could she condemn someone else - and their ancestors for generations to come - to the same reality she was suffering through right now? She couldn't, not in good conscience. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but I-"

"I'm sure there are plenty of people who are willing to die for you, Astoria," Hermione whispered quietly. "I knew it was a long shot. I just - I had to let you know."

"Thank you," the other finally whispered. "I- I should get back to the Hall now." Then she ran, not caring exactly where she was going.

Hermione stood in the same spot. She'd been stupid, so stupid, for even thinking a girl like Astoria would do that. She was utterly useless. She started to walk back to the Great Hall before a rustling of a cloak somewhere nearby stopped her. Drawing in a scared breath, she took out her wand. "Show yourself!" she commanded, her voice full of authority she didn't feel.

Draco Malfoy melted out of the shadows, his usual smirk nowhere to be found. "Oh, it's just you," Hermione said irritably, lowering her wand. "What do you want?"

"How do you transfer the blood curse onto someone else?" the boy asked, looking anywhere but the girl's face.

Hermione's heart started beating a little faster. "I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy. Get out of here before I hex you to oblivion."

"I know that Astoria has the blood curse. I've been trying to help her but she won't let me. Please, transfer it to me. I-" his voice broke slightly. Hermione stared. She'd never seen him like this. "I won't be missed."

"She wouldn't want you to do that," the Gryffindor whispered finally. "She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew that one of her best friends -"

"She wouldn't need to know," Draco argued. "And besides, she doesn't like me. As a friend."

"I won't help you. It's not what she would want," Hermione said firmly, the realization that she was saving one life and extinguishing another at the same time not settling quite right in her gut. "You saw Astoria's reaction when I even suggested the idea in the hypothetical."

He nodded, regaining his composure. "I'll just do it myself, then. Tell this to anyone and I will Crucio you and your little weasel of a boyfriend."

Then he left, leaving Hermione with a lot to think about.

Astoria didn't bother going back to the Great Hall like she said she would. Instead, she went straight to her dormitory. Why would Hogwarts throw a ball? She'd never heard of it from any of the previous years. Besides, it added so much more anxiety to her life. Why should she have to worry about what dress she was supposed to wear or who she'd go to the ball with? It was her sixth year. Her attention was supposed to be on N.E.W.T.s. Still, worrying about the ball was better than thinking about what Hermione had told her. Transfer the curse onto someone else? She'd never allow it. Even though there was a tiny, guiltless part of her that saw it as a valid option...

Sitting on her bed, she surrendered herself to the dark thoughts. What if someone would want the curse transferred onto them? What then?

"Oh. Poor little Asty's here," a sneering voice said. Astoria looked up to see Pansy and Millicent enter the dormitory, followed by Daphne, who looked mortified at the idea of Pansy saying anything like that to her sister. Never one for confrontation, the older girl went to her bed quietly, shooting her younger sister an apologetic look. "Where's Draco, you slut?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Astoria said. "Still in love with him?"

Pansy's lip curled. "Of course not."

Suddenly, a voice sounded from outside the room. "Can I speak to Astoria?"

Pansy looked livid as she identified the voice she'd spent all those years memorizing. Smirking at her, Astoria got out of her bed and walked to the door frame. Sure enough, Draco was standing at the edge of the staircase, looking shaken. Shooting him a murderous look, she turned back to Pansy, a maddeningly innocent expression on her face. "I guess Draco's here to pick me up. See you."

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs, though, there was hell to pay. "Why are you even looking at me right now?"

"I wanted to help you," he said once he'd steered her into an empty classroom.

"For the last time, Draco, I don't need your goddamn help!" the girl shrieked, glad they were alone so they wouldn't receive any questioning looks. "When are you going to realize that?"

He looked at her for a minute. "You hate me so much right now, Astoria."

"Damn right I do."

"Then let me take on the curse," he said with a note of finality in his voice.

"Oh, so you've been eavesdropping now, too?" she sputtered, her mind temporarily frozen. Draco Malfoy up his life instead of hers? What was he thinking? A stupid and idiotic part of the girl felt like blushing. She drew in a deep breath and forced her voice to soften. "Of course not, Draco."

"But I-"

"You care for me, yes?"

He nodded resolutely.

"Then don't make me feel even worse than I already do. I can't have your life on my conscience."

"But I can save you," the boy argued.

"This curse is mine to bear. I can't cheat it. I can't get rid of it. I'm slowing it, and I'm living with it. And there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise, so you better not try."

She was crying, but in Draco's mind, she'd never looked more beautiful. Before he could process what he was about to do, he leaned down and kissed her.

 **review and all that good stuff!**


	13. An Invitation

Astoria made her decision and kissed him back. After what seemed like only a second, he broke away, smirking. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Oh, shut up," Astoria said, drying her tears and giving him a watery smile. "You look happier than I've ever seen you."

"I guess you win this round."

"I guess I do."

 **...**

Hermione caught up to Astoria in the corridor a few days later, an apologetic look on her face. "I was walking by that part of the castle - accidentally peeked inside that classroom... and, um, accidentally saw you and Draco-"

Astoria laughed. "It's okay, Hermione. We weren't doing much."

"I know! I just feel bad. It was a personal moment and I ruined it."

"I didn't notice you," Astoria reassured.

Hermione bit her lip. "Draco did. And he gave me the biggest death stare he's ever given me."

"Well, it looks like some things never will change."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "I, er- better get back to Ron and Harry."

The informality with which she pronounced the names of her best friends surprised Astoria. She'd grown used to the way Draco said their names - coldly and with much disdain. Still, now that she kissed the boy, she could probably find a way to pass off his hatred for all things Gryffindor as a lovable quirk. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, the Slytherin nodded, "Of course. I'll see you later." Never would she ever have imagined that she'd have confided in Hermione Granger. But then again, she'd never have guessed that she'd be host to a blood curse, so anything could happen.

Someone bumped into her a little too hard, causing her to lose her grip on her heavy bag and send it to the cold floor, where it burst open, scattering books everywhere.

"Oops," Pansy Parkinson said innocently, laughing mirthlessly as she glided by accompanied by Millicent and a few more Slytherin girls. "Better watch where you're going next time."

"I'd give the same advice to you," Astoria said, "Seeing as you didn't realize when you crossed the line between jealousy and desperation."

Millicent wrinkled her nose. "Just because Pansy's been crying at night for the last week doesn't mean she's -"

"Shut up!" Pansy shrieked, hexing her friend immediately. Astoria backed away slowly, trying to stop a smile from spreading across her face.

"Why are you so _happy_?" Draco practically spat as he walked her to her next lesson.

Astoria smiled up at the blond boy. "Oh, you know, birds chirping, sun shining, Pansy utterly humiliated by Millicent -"

He smirked. "And you thought you weren't a proper Slytherin."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you really need to bring up the time when I almost slapped you right now?"

"Almost slapped me?" he asked, a crease forming between his eyes. "I thought you were about to kiss me."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "There are so many things you don't understand, Draco. Why would I have been about to kiss you if you were yelling at me and being a general - _(she said something that made Draco wince)_ \- for the last half hour?"

"In all fairness, you've been pretty willing to kiss me in my experience, especially over the last few days," he said, the smirk coming back to his face. Then, he looked around to make sure they were alone. Seeing that everyone else had gone to class, he said, "So the Snow Angel Ball is coming up..."

"Icicle Ball, Draco," Astoria corrected him, experiencing an odd deja-vu moment.

"Whatever. I'm wearing a green tie, so you'll probably have to wear silver. I won't be seen in your presence if we match."

"Charming," the girl muttered.

"And we're in the same house, so I won't have to pick you up... besides from waiting in the common room, but I don't care about that. And I'll keep my wand close by just in case Pansy tries to hex you out of anger or jealousy."

"I don't understand," Astoria said, looking at him.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm taking you to the Snowman Ball, Astoria."

"Icicle, Draco."

"Does it look like I care?"

"No, but then again, it never looks like you care."

"Not this again," he groaned, walking away from her quickly.

"See you at the ball, Draco!" she yelled after him, noticing his wince. He was not into public displays of affection. Or, she thought with a slight frown on her face, at least not PDA with her. He'd always been fine with Pansy draping herself over him... Shaking her head slightly, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Draco had broken up with Pansy and was now dating her.

She had nothing to worry about.


	14. Unchanged Ways

Weeks flew by, and soon it was time for the Hogsmeade trip. Astoria left the castle grounds with Daphne on one of December's colder days, covered almost from head to toe with coats, jackets, and scarves.

"Who're you going with?" Astoria asked her sister as they entered Gladrags Wizardwear.

"Blaise," the girl replied, a smile quickly gracing her face. "He asked me a week ago."

"Let's hope he and Draco know how to dance," Astoria snickered as they started examining racks and racks of dresses, the younger girl avoiding anything green. "This would be cute on you, Daphne."

"No, thanks," the girl said, wrinkling her nose at the dress Astoria was holding up. "I don't like orange."

"I never said I had good fashion sense."

"Why don't you take a look at this one?" Daphne said, holding something silver up for her sister to examine.

"I'll try it on."

The dress for Astoria ended up being a success, but the search for Daphne took longer. It was almost four o'clock in the afternoon by the time the two girls started back down the path to Hogwarts.

When the stars appeared again, halfway through their walk, Astoria at first mistook them for heavier bits of the snow falling. But when it stopped snowing and the stars were still there, she quickened her pace. Into the castle they went, with Daphne practically holding the almost-unconscious girl up as they descended the stairs, walked through the dungeon corridors, and finally stopped at one of the couches in the common room.

Astoria fell.

 **...**

When she woke up, Daphne was gone, something that was not usual. During past fainting spells, Daphne had stayed by her sister's side so that she would be there when she woke up. Now, as Astoria stood up and surveyed the common room, she realized that she was quite alone.

Looking at the time, the girl realized that it was only an hour to dinner. Deciding that it was best if she just read until she needed to go to the Great Hall, Astoria went to retrieve her book from the dormitories. Climbing up the stairs, the girl realized that there were noises coming from her dormitory. The girl frowned, took her wand out and muttered " _Homenum revelio_ ". The spell kicked in immediately, and she saw the outline of two figures making out. Sighing, the girl stopped on the stairway. On the one hand, she needed to sleep. On the other, she didn't want to walk in on - on, well, whatever was going on up there.

"Come on, dinner doesn't end for another hour," the girl's voice said from inside. Pansy. _So she's rebounded quickly_ , Astoria thought, slightly relieved. Maybe if Pansy was distracted by someone she'd stop torturing Astoria about Draco.

The other person said something too quiet for the eavesdropping girl to hear. Deciding to end this now, Astoria finished walking up the staircase and knocked on the door. "I'm coming in, so everybody better be decent!" She waited five seconds and then entered.

Draco Malfoy was standing in the middle of the room, caught in the middle of trying to hide behind Millicent's trunk. Pansy seemed smug and satisfied, as she curled her lip up, looked between the two, and made for the door. "I think I'll leave you two to talk," she said, and there was no hiding the malicious pleasure in her voice. She slammed the door behind her.

"What the hell were you doing?" Astoria burst out after casting a Muffilato charm on the room. She wouldn't give Pansy the privilege of eavesdropping.

Draco straightened, unable to meet her eyes. "I-"

She crossed the room and slapped him. Then her eyes widened as she realized what she'd done. Draco would surely quit Hogwarts again...

 _Let him,_ she thought bitterly. _I don't care anymore_. She turned to leave.

"I'm sorry, Astoria," the boy said, putting a hand on her arm.

She whirled back around so that she was facing him again. "Don't you dare touch me, you -" she broke off. Words couldn't express the absolute loathing she felt towards the boy standing in front of her. She punched him in the chest, and then in the face, not caring that blood was spurting from his nose. "If you ever try to talk to me again, you foul git, I will hex you to oblivion."

He stood there for a moment, looking at her, then the blood on his hands, then her again. "I'm so -"

"Get out." The girl's voice shook with anger.

"Didn't I say I was sorry?"

"I always knew you weren't the smartest gobstone in the set, but really, Malfoy, this is dumb," she spat. "Do you understand basic English? Are you socially advanced enough to read the tone of my voice? Or do you just have a fucking death wish?"

He ran a hand through his already mussed (the thought made her want to retch) hair. "Fine," he said, his voice growing louder and higher. "Fine! I'll leave, if that's what you really want, you stupid -"

Astoria's wand was out faster than the boy could ever imagine.

"Get. Out."

He turned tail and ran.


	15. Bad Weather

**Sorry for the long update time! Don't forget to review, fav, follow etc. if you enjoyed!**

 **...**

Astoria sat by herself at breakfast the next morning, watching Draco and Pansy chatting out of the corner of her eye.

Headmistress McGonagall stood up from her seat, causing the Great Hall to immediately quiet down. "The Icicle Ball will be next week. Dance lessons are occurring in the Great Hall from one to two thirty this afternoon. Attendance is mandatory."

As she sat back down, the murmur of Hogwarts students returning to their gossip got louder and louder. In Astoria's mind, it seemed that they were all talking about her. Every stare in the direction of Slytherin table was meant for her. Every mention of any name that started with an "A" was obviously hers.

It was too much. As the mass of Hogwarts students started to walk to their classes, Astoria fought her way to the front and sprinted to the girls' bathroom. The stars were reappearing, and her mind was too crowded to properly function.

She slumped against the sink and passed out.

She came to a few minutes later, her head throbbing from where it had hit the sink. Standing up fully, she splashed some cold water on her face and, noticing what looked like the edge of a Hogwarts robe in the mirror, turned around.

Pansy Parkinson was standing behind her, looking triumphant.

"Come here to cry?" she jeered, arms crossed across her chest.

"No," Astoria said. "Just needed to find a place where the skies didn't darken upon your arrival. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to class." Brushing past Pansy roughly, the girl walked out into the hall, slinging her bag over her shoulder and reminding herself to faint in private next time.

The last thing she wanted to do was give Pansy more ammunition.

 **...**

"We're going to learn a basic waltz," the Headmistress said as she patrolled the room in an almost Snape-like manner. "I trust that everyone will have the minimal skill required to learn it. Line up alphabetically by first name, house, and gender. Boys and girls, face each other."

Astoria started the long line of girl Slytherins in the seventh year, hoping she wouldn't be paired with Draco. McGonagall cleared her throat as soon as everyone had assembled themselves in the preferred order, then said, "The person across from you is your partner." Astoria sighed in relief when she saw that Blaise hadn't skipped the class and would be her partner.

"You've just saved my life," she whispered to him as they tried to waltz around the room. She ignored Draco dancing perfectly with Millicent in the corner of her eye. "I would've been with Draco if you'd skipped."

"I wasn't going to skip," the Italian boy said, looking highly offended. Astoria raised her eyebrows. "Fine. I was, but McGonagall caught me. Sometimes I really can't stand her-"

"Stop! Stop dancing!" Professor McGonagall was in the front of the room, looking slightly flustered. "You're all doing horribly. We're moving on. Waltz around the room freely until I say so. Then switch partners with the couple on your immediate right. And for Merlin's sake, keep the timing!" With a wave of her wand, the music started up again.

"Stay away from Draco," Astoria said, trying to steer Blaise in the direction opposite from where the boy was dancing with Daphne.

"Sorry, Astoria," Blaise said, guiding her towards the pair.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" the girl hissed, struggling violently.

"It's for... your own... good..." the boy grunted. She kicked him in between the legs when McGonagall wasn't looking and then started steering him back in the other direction. She _would not_ dance with Draco Malfoy.

"Switch partners!"

Astoria looked to her right, praying...

"May I have this dance?" Draco said coolly.

The girl gritted her teeth. McGonagall was staring right at her, as was Pansy. "You may," she ground out. The music started up again.

They danced in silence. Astoria was annoyed to discover that he was, in fact, an excellent dancer.

"I'm not going to beg," the boy said finally. "Begging is for lovesick fools, and I do not number amongst them."

"Good," Astoria said, taking pride in how cold her voice sounded even in her own ears. "We're on the same page, then."

His grip on her tightened a little, and the action caused her to look up. "But it would be in your best interest to come back, Astoria. The Greengrass name is not in good standing right now, and with the Malfoy wealth and influence -"

"What wealth? What influence? Whatever resources you had before the war are certainly gone now," she spat. "That is, unless you're counting family members in Azkaban as resources, because you have plenty of those."

Something hardened in his eyes. "The fact is, Astoria, that we were never exclusive. Did you think that we were dating? We never clarified that, either. You were no different than Millicent, really..."

"Cut the act, Malfoy. You cared about me and you ruined it, and I will never speak meaningfully to you again."

He inhaled, his eyes moving to some spot over the girl's shoulder. "It's your loss, Astoria."

"I'm weeping," she said sarcastically.

"Switch partners!" McGonagall said from the front of the room. Astoria practically bolted from Malfoy's grasp. She'd been so stupid to think that she meant anything to him. They'd never made anything official. Just because he'd invited her to the ball...

He'd just been leading her on.


	16. The Icicle Ball

**Back to back updates!**

 **...**

Astoria linked arms with Daphne as they walked through the doors to the Great Hall, gasping in surprise. Instead of the crowded dining area the sisters knew well, a completely decorated ballroom greeted them. Icicle spikes six feet tall formed the corners of the dance floor, where some couples were already waltzing incorrectly. Small circular tables were scattered around the edges of the room, and a buffet table had replaced the one the professors usually sat at. Before she could stop herself, Astoria looked around the room for Draco. He was deep in conversation with Blaise, his arm slung around Pansy. She watched him until he excused himself, then her eyes snapped back to Daphne.

Astoria felt nauseous. "I need to get a drink," she told her sister, who nodded in understanding. She started to walk towards the buffet table and was looking at the non-alcoholic drinks section when -

"Going to drown your sorrows already?" a cool voice said from behind her. Malfoy.

"So what if I am?" Astoria said challengingly, turning around to face him.

He eyed her dress. "Don't vomit on your dress. It's a pretty one. And you listened when I told you not to get one that would match my tie."

The girl snorted. "Only because I bought it before you started tonguing someone else."

The boy appeared unfazed. "Well, it'd be a shame to waste it."

"Who says I will?" Astoria said. "I never said I wasn't going to dance in it."

"What do you mean?" For a second, something like panic had crossed Draco's face.

"I'm saying that there are boys that exist other than you. I think Nott has always liked me. Why don't I go test my luck?"

Draco regained his composure. "Have fun."

For some reason, him saying those two words made Astoria feel as if he'd taken an icicle off a nearby ice sculpture and stabbed her through the heart. She hid her reaction, though, instead saying, "The same to you," before getting her drink and leaving.

This ball had managed to crawl under even her lowest expectations. _What have I gotten myself into?_

Deciding to make good on her promise to Malfoy, she started scanning the room for Nott. She found him at a nearby table, chatting up an obviously uninterested Ravenclaw. Feeling Draco's eyes burning into her back, she walked over to the table and put a hand on the boy's arm. "What to dance?" she said sweetly, cocking her head slightly through the almost-full dance floor, not sure whether she hated herself or Malfoy more.

Nott looked at the Ravenclaw, who was now talking to someone else with her back turned to him. "Yeah," he muttered. Astoria waited patiently for him to realize it was her standing before him. He did, and his tone became much more excited. "Yeah, let's dance."

Stopping herself from rolling her eyes, the girl allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor. She cast a nervous look around the room to see Malfoy staring right at her. She gave him a smug smile before facing Nott again. He'd started rambling about something, only to stop and look at her to make sure she was still listening. Then, he'd continue. It was almost like listening to one of Professor Binns' lectures.

The dance came to an end, and Astoria stayed by Nott's side. She watched from the other side of the room as Draco kissed Pansy and talked to Blaise and Daphne. He'd completely shut her out of the circle.

The next dance started. And then the next one. Astoria didn't absorb one word of what Nott was saying to her as they waltzed around the room. She didn't even notice that the next dance was the kind that required the dancer to be constantly changing partners until Nott was whisked off and she found herself facing Malfoy.

"Curse my luck," she muttered as she grudgingly clasped hands with the boy.

"And your blood," he added innocently. She gave him her best death stare and scanned the room, looking for Daphne, who'd been forced to dance with Seamus and hadn't missed a single opportunity to stomp on his foot. "What's so funny?"

Astoria forced her face to return to a neutral expression. "Nothing."

He tried to look over his shoulder. Astoria stomped on his foot. He barely winced. _Does he get antagonized by_ anything _?_ she marveled, looking at his pale neck and the side of his head. Suddenly, he returned his gaze to her, and she quickly averted her eyes. No way would she give him the satisfaction of knowing that she'd been staring at him.

Astoria hadn't been paying attention to where they were heading, but she soon realized that they were near the corner of the dance floor. Over Draco's shoulder, she could see the intricately detailed ice tower looming over them. Her gaze slipped to the right, and she saw someone - she didn't recognize the face - tapping the base of the tower with their wand three times...

A non-verbal spell. But doing what?

Time seemed to slow down as she realized what was about to happen. The ice started to slowly crack, starting from the base and moving upwards silently. Draco was standing right underneath the heavy sculpture. If it fell on him...

Despite her hatred for the boy, she shivered a little thinking about him lying in a hospital bed, a thousand deep cuts on his body from shards of ice. Eyes wide, she watched as the cracks spread, getting wider and looking more lethal...

She felt as if she was unable to move. Then, suddenly, time sped up again. She only had time to push the boy to the side before the tower collapsed.

Only too late did she realize that she, too, was under the breaking sculpture.


	17. Chivalry (Or Lack Thereof)

"Honestly, I'm amazed it didn't kill her -"

Astoria felt herself returning slowly, painfully, to consciousness. Two blobs were standing at the edge of her bed. One was slightly taller than the other. The brightness the room must've meant it was daytime. One day had passed.

"Granger, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I could say the same to you, Malfoy." Hermione's voice was cold as ice.

"I'm in the same house as her -"

"You _cheated_ on her -"

" _You're a Gryffindor and a . Get away from Astoria's bed!_ " Draco's voice shook with anger.

The injured girl's vision sharpened. The two were close to blows now. Draco's hands were in fists and Hermione was reaching for her wand. "Enough."

"Astoria!" Hermione exclaimed, turning towards the girl after throwing a dirty look at the boy. "How do you feel?"

Astoria thought for a second. How _did_ she feel? Relieved that the ball was over. A little sore. She could see the faint remnants of deep cuts that the shards of ice must've made when they came crashing down on her, but they weren't hurting. She sent silent thanks up to whoever made the healing salve Madam Pomfrey must've applied. "Ready to run a marathon." She threw a sheepish look at the boy and cleared her throat. "What happened?"

"You and the ferret were dancing - I'm guessing against your will - and the tower started to crumble. For some reason, you pushed _him_ out of the way instead of saving yourself."

"So you owe me one?" Astoria said, making eye contact with Draco for the first time in weeks.

"Yes," Draco said, relieved by the friendly tone of her voice.

"Then you can pay it back to me right now. Stay the hell out of my life. Stop flirting with me and trying to make me jealous because I'll never be." Astoria had never been more certain of anything in her life than the fact that Malfoy didn't belong in it. Her gaze was suddenly intense and her tone cold. There was nothing warm in her brown eyes.

Hermione smiled. Draco left.

The next week passed without any words exchanged between the two Slytherins. Draco, it seemed, had officially given up. He and Pansy were a couple again, and Astoria was stuck watching them make out from the other side of the room as she sat, alone, doing mountains of homework. Sometimes Daphne would join her, but most of the time she was occupied with Blaise. The two had become an official couple after the ball.

January turned into February, and February turned into March. The snow that had covered everything for the past three months started to shrink back into the shadows as the sun appeared more often. It was sweater weather once again.

On a cool Saturday morning in the middle of March, Astoria had just finished her Transfiguration essay and was about to start her star chart for Divination when someone cleared their throat from behind her. Turning around, Astoria saw it was Draco.

To have him standing before her again was a weird feeling. She'd spent so many months watching him out of the corner of her eye - daring him to look back at her or acknowledge her presence. Of course, he never did. He'd respected Astoria's wishes, and one part of her hated him for it.

"Why are you here?" she said, motioning towards the other empty tables in the Slytherin common room.

"I'm here to beg for your forgiveness," he said sarcastically. Then, after a slight pause, "I need help with the Transfiguration assignment."

"No you don't," the girl said irritably. "You're second in your grade next to Granger, and I'm two years behind you. Go away."

"I understand the gist of it, Astoria. Now, if you'll just let me see it -"

"No!"

"- I'll have enough free time to walk around with you. "

Astoria looked at him, momentarily stunned. "No," she said finally. "Academic dishonesty is wrong, Draco. You could do it a thousand times better than me anyway."

"I could," he said, looking impatient. "Now pack up your things and let's go."

"Where are we even going?" Astoria said, crossing her arms and looking longingly back towards the stairs that led to the dungeons and Slytherin dormitories. "It's cold out. I didn't even bring a jacket."

"It's not that cold, you're just annoyingly sensitive."

"You're such a gentleman," she spat, looking away from him. Why did she even agree to this? Not that he didn't give her much choice. Still...

"I never said I was a gentleman," Draco pointed out, ignoring the seething girl next to him. "Pretty view, isn't it?" They were standing next to the Great Lake, and Astoria had to admit that it was a nice view, even on a cold March day.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked finally.

"Doing what?" he asked innocently, staring out at the lake.

So he was going to make her elaborate. Prat. "Why did you make me walk with you when you know I will never trust you nor like you again?"

He turned and faced her. "I don't believe that."

"Believe what?"

"Believe that you will never love nor trust me again."

"I never loved you," Astoria said bitterly.

"You liked me. You trusted me. You were happy."

She turned away from him. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Too late. It's been three months, Astoria. Time for you to move on."

"Oh, you're giving me your blessing to date other boys? Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need your permission to do anything." Her confidence was wavering. What the hell was Malfoy doing?

"I cheated on you," he said calmly.

"Damn right you did."

"I regret that."

"If this is one of your games, Malfoy -" the girl said, starting to walk away.

"It's not. I was a prat and I'm sorry."

She stopped and looked back at him for a second, something like pity in her eyes. "Too little, too late."


	18. Neat Endings

**trying something different (re: flashback in italics)... tell me what you think!**

 _"I like neat endings."_

 _"That's an incredibly astute thing for a nine-year old girl to say," Draco said, looking over at Astoria with an eyebrow raised._

 _She held his gaze evenly. "I'm not a regular nine year-old."_

 _"And I'm not a regular eleven year-old."_

 _"But you're going to Hogwarts, aren't you? That's pretty regular."_

 _He scoffed. "Of course I'm going. Mother says the only reason I haven't gotten my letter yet is because they're doing it alphabetically by last name."_

 _"Is that really the only reason?"_

 _"Of course it is," Draco snapped._

 _"You're not nice," Astoria said. "You haven't received your letter because Hogwarts doesn't take rude people like you."_

 _"You're nine," the boy said, cheeks coloring with rage. "You don't know anything."_

 _"When I turn eleven, I'm getting my letter first."_

 _"Niceness is for weaklings."_

 _"Is it?" Astoria jumped down from the armchair she'd been sitting on. "You can keep the book. It doesn't have a neat ending, anyway. I hope you despise it."_

 _With that, she marched out of the Malfoy library with all the fierceness a nine year-old could offer. Draco sat back in his chair, eyes closed. He hadn't remembered Astoria Greengrass when his mother had told him she'd be coming to play earlier that morning, and now he knew why._

 _He had a way of repressing embarrassing encounters._

Draco stopped Astoria again the next day, this time in the hallway between classes. "You saved me," he said triumphantly. "At the ball. You pushed me out of the way instead of saving yourself." She rolled her eyes and tried to push past him. "So you must like me."

"Well, I don't want you to die just because I despise you," she said reasonably, the venom barely concealed under her voice.

"But you don't. You don't despise me, that is."

She rolled her eyes again. "We've been through this, Malfoy."

"You like me."

"I think if I roll my eyes any more than I already have, they'll get stuck in that position."

"What do I have to do?" he blurted out, immediately embarrassed by his desperate tone. "What do I have to do?" he repeated, looking away from Astoria's grinning face.

She thought a little, relishing Draco's sudden weakness. "Well, you can start by dumping Pansy. Stop trying to make me jealous, it isn't working. In fact, don't hook up with or date anyone at all."

Already, Draco's face had grown paler (something Astoria didn't think was possible). She continued, "You'll also treat all Muggleborns with respect. If I hear the word 'mudblood' escape your lips one more time, I'll never talk to you again."

Draco's face was the color of fresh paper.

"Lastly, tell me why you cheated." Astoria was embarrassed to admit that she really wanted to know.

The boy looked around the now-empty corridor, making sure no one could overhear them. "I was scared," he said quietly. "Everything was too good to be true, and I knew it wouldn't last. If I burst the bubble then rather than when it would inevitably be burst later-"

"You're pathetic," Astoria spat. "Learn to accept that you don't have a set amount of happiness to be given. And follow the rules. Maybe I'll actually like you again."

She walked off to Charms, feeling way too happy for her own good.

Weeks passed. Draco appeared to be sticking to his promise.

"Hey," Daphne said, sitting across from where Astoria was silently brooding in the dining hall, "I wanted to talk to you about Draco."

"Why?" Astoria asked, suddenly annoyed.

"He was talking to Granger today," her sister said, nose wrinkled. "Didn't look happy about it, mind you, but he was."

"Good for him. What does this have to do with me, again?"

"When I asked him why he was talking to her, he said he was doing it for you."

The younger girl rolled her eyes.

"I think he really likes you, Astoria," Daphne said quietly.

"But he's a git and he cheated on me," Astoria pointed out. "Not that the two are related."

Her sister sighed and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "I'm not saying you should date him or anything, I'm just saying that maybe you should try and -"

"Forgive?"

"Yes," Daphne said.

"No," Astoria countered. "If he changes, then yes. But not otherwise." Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had eavesdropped on their conversation, she left the hall, her hair - once black, straight, and shoulder-length, now , long, and wavy - flying behind her.

The class of 1998 graduated a day later. Astoria looked stunning in a black dress with silver accents. She had two years left at Hogwarts, but as her sister was a graduate, she was allowed to attend the ceremony. The fainting was getting worse, but she wouldn't tell anyone that.

Or the fact that she'd started going to St. Mungo's twice a week.

Draco attended the party after the graduation with no one, nor did he accept offers to dance or walk outside with any girl. He just watched Astoria. When he thought she had consumed enough firewhisky to give him her forgiveness, he approached her, elbowing Seamus Finnegan out of the way in the process.

"Astoria, I've followed your rules. I've become a good person. Can you please just forgive -"

The girl snorted, the stem of her wine glass wobbling slightly in her hand. "Please. Just because you followed a list of specific things doesn't make you a good person. Besides, I saw you hexing a couple of Gryffindors the other day."

"You never said anything about hexing Gryffindors on your list -"

"It was implied, Draco." She drank a little more from her glass and looked over her shoulder, where Seamus was looking at her. "Leave me to my suitors."

He laughed slightly. It looked unusual on his face. "You have none."

"How would you know?"

"I just do."

"I'm going over to them right now." She made to move away from him, but he caught her elbow.

"No."

She whirled to face him, something blazing in her eyes. "Fuck off, Draco. You know how terrible you've made this last year be for me? You led me on, cheated on me, destroyed my friend group, and made me a social outcast. So stop asking for forgiveness because you won't - get - any. Have I made myself clear?"

He realized she was incredibly sober.

"Oh, and trying to talk to me because I'm holding a wine glass? It's grape juice, you git."

He swallowed as a memory surfaced. "You don't like messy endings! Isn't that right?" She narrowed her eyes at him, and he knew he'd surprised her. "I remember. This is the messiest it could get, Astoria... No forgiveness, no closure..." he paused, and when he continued, his voice caught just slightly. "If you don't forgive me now, we'll never see each other again."

"Then I guess we'll never see each other."

She left.


	19. Malfoy Manor

_{four years later}_

"How nice to see you again," Lucius said as Astoria stepped into Malfoy Manor for the third time that year. Feeling an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face, she instead shook his outstretched hand and looked around the room. Dancing had already started (she'd tried to be as late as was socially acceptable), the buffet was brimming and being tended by house-elves, and the décor was, as usual, immaculate. It made her skin crawl.

"The pleasure is all mine," she lied. Lucius's lip curled slightly, and she added, "Narcissa's outdone herself."

"I'll make sure to pass that on to her." The pause in conversation made Astoria brace herself for the worst - after all, she knew where this conversation was headed. "How's your father doing?"

Her father was in Azkaban, as he was well aware. She knew that this was a small reminder of how far on the social ladder her family had sunk - not only was their mother dead, but their father was locked up for cursing Muggles after drinking too much Firewhisky. The fact that Daphne had married Blaise - a true love match, but one that also happened to put her in the respectable Zabini house - made little difference.

It was up to Astoria to change all that. Which was why she was here in the first place - to meet new people, make connections, and hopefully continue the damage control she'd been attempting throughout the past year and a half.

Of course, Lucius didn't know any of that. "He's fine, all things considering," the woman said instead.

"I'm glad to hear that. What an unfortunate situation." His mouth twisted into a sparse smile. "Though really, I always expected something like that to happen."

"I beg your pardon?" Astoria said a little too loudly. Lucius had succeeded in getting a reaction out of her - no doubt this was all entertainment to him. But he'd criticized her father, and there was only so much she could take.

His smile grew wider. "Well, your father was always a little careless. He was bound to trip up someday."

She forced herself to nod in agreement. "We all make mistakes."

"That we do. Speaking of mistakes, I'm afraid that Draco has been called away on business, otherwise he'd be here to say hello. I understand you were quite infatuated with him during his time at Hogwarts."

"Funny how things change, isn't it?"

The look on Lucius's face was priceless, but Astoria knew it'd cost her any future invites to any Malfoy parties. In a way, she was relieved. But she also knew that this would be yet another setback on the road that would eventually lead to the Greengrass family's success. Still, as she was the only named member of the Greengrass family left, she decided she could do what she pleased.

"Astoria, how lovely to see you again," Narcissa Malfoy said, joining her husband.

"The pleasure's all mine," Astoria said. It wasn't as much of a lie as she would've liked - despite everything, she still found Narcissa Malfoy not quite as repulsive as her husband.

After Lucius excused himself, the older woman said, "I hear Daphne is pregnant. You must be so excited."

"I am, thank you."

"And you're single?"

"Yes."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Hmm. Well, as long as you stay away from Draco and his girlfriend, I wish you the best of luck."

Astoria nodded, in shock for the first time the evening. As if she'd sink so low as to pursue the man who made her life a living hell. As if.

And besides, who did Narcissa think she was, telling her who to date? The young woman managed a "thank you" and excused herself before walking quickly out of the ballroom. After going to so many parties over the years, she knew her way around the first floor of the manor fairly well.

She stepped into a small parlor off the main hallway and sealed the door shut behind her, catching her reflection in a nearby mirror. She looked exhausted - two years of strain and the weight of her family's legacy had taken its toll on her otherwise youthful face. That wasn't to say that she couldn't handle the pressure - she could. In fact, she was the only member of her family equipped to take on such an arduous task.

Still, it wasn't all easy - living alone in the Greengrass Manor, dealing with payment of house elves and the Ministry officials that kept knocking on her door, convinced that her father had been part of the fringe movement to continue Voldemort's cause. Not to mention the cursed blood that still ran through her veins. Though she'd dialed back her visits from twice a week to twice a month after a seemingly miraculous treatment had been found, she was still unable to fall asleep quickly most nights.

In short, she looked exhausted because she _was_ exhausted.

But no one needed to know that. She set her shoulders back and drew in a deep breath, trying to see herself from a stranger's perspective. Her dress was beautiful - a black tailored piece back from when her family had been rich enough to afford such things. Emeralds hung from her ears, and her hair was tied back in a braid that Daphne had sworn made her look beautiful.

Someone knocked on the door.

Jumping a little, she collected her bag from a nearby table, took another deep breath, and stepped out.

She didn't recognize him at first. He was leaner, the angles in his face more sharply defined. His hair was more closely cropped since she'd seen him last, and his suit did him wonders. But when she recognized his eyes, gray as the overcast sky, she knew was in trouble.

"Why are you here?" the woman blurted out.

He seemed just as shocked as she was. "This is my house, last time I checked. Why are _you_ here?"

"I was invited," she snapped.

"Oh."

"I thought you were away on business."

"I was. But I Apparated back because my father told me to."

"Still daddy's little boy, then?"

He stiffened. "No."

They stared at each other for a minute. Finally, Astoria said, "But why are you _here_? Why are you talking to _me_?"

"I saw you go into the parlor. It seemed very much unlike you."

"You don't know anything about me."

He ran a hand through his hair, and after he did, he looked a few years older. "You're not making this easy."

"I'm sorry that my behavior isn't adhering to your highest hopes."

He seemed to take a deep breath - Astoria watched this chest rise and fall - and then said, "Look, Astoria -"

"This is going to be good..." she muttered.

He continued on as if she hadn't interrupted him. "I'm not here to beg for your forgiveness. I haven't thought about you much in the past few years but when I have, I know that I was in the wrong. You've every right to be angry at me, and I'd be shocked if this conversation actually changed your view of me, but I need to apologize once more before I let this rest. I was a prat. I'm sorry."

It sounded rehearsed. But there was something surprisingly genuine underneath his apathetic tone.

The woman stood in silence for a few seconds, in shock for the second time that night. "Thanks," she finally said, her mouth dry.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I, er - just wanted a neat ending. I've got a dinner party to get to, but I'll see you around."

With that, he started to walk away. Astoria watched him go for a few seconds before snapping out of her startled state.

"Draco," she called. For a second, she was sure he didn't hear her, but then he turned around.

"When you're in town again -" she felt so stupid, but there was something inside her pushing to make this connection, to not let this moment go to waste - "When you're in town again, send me an owl."

"Sure," he said.

She let him go.


	20. Complications

**A/N: I know it's been a long time. But I've had writer's block, etc, etc. Anyway, thanks for sticking around – I hope that this chapter was worth the wait.**

The owl arrived two months later on a bright Sunday afternoon. Astoria was in the middle of wrenching open the ancient windows of the dusty Greengrass mansion when she noticed the bird flying in front of the door. It was a handsome snowy owl, and it looked incredibly bored.

As soon as she got the window to open (she knew she could do it with magic, but sometimes she liked to test her strength), the owl landed on the sill and stuck its right leg out. Smiling slightly, Astoria untied the envelope from the bird, muttered a "thanks", and watched it soar back into the sky.

The contents of the letter he'd sent to her were brief:

 _Astoria – In town for this week only. How does tomorrow work? I'll come around at one or so. See you then. Draco_

Astoria didn't know what to do. She wanted to go back to her days in the fifth year, when she didn't care about his cruelty to those with different heritage or Wizarding backgrounds. She wanted to forget how he'd stalked through the halls, calling people slurs and hexing Gryffindors when professors weren't looking.

But she couldn't. Because the war was over, and the good people had won, but prejudice still lurked, searching for a new opening. And she wasn't entirely sure Draco was against it.

The woman walked around the dusty mansion, debating with herself. At the end, though, her morals won out: she would not be accepting Draco's invitation. He was too prejudiced, and she could do better.

It was only after she came to this conclusion that she realized the sun had set. She got ready for bed and was drifting off to sleep when she saw stars in a way she hadn't since her Hogwarts days. They blurred her vision, dancing in front of her even though she knew that to anyone else they weren't there.

"I hate my life," she said (or at least tried to say, because her tongue felt thick and swollen so it really came out, "Ith athe milith") before getting out of bed, an action that caused even more stars to crowd her already limited vision. She stumbled across the room, pulled on pants and a more acceptable shirt, and attempted to Apparate to St. Mungo's.

But try as she might, she remained in her room.

Her head felt heavy, and it was hard to breathe. A pang shot through her stomach, anxiety that she thought she'd conquered resurfacing for the first time in years. Cursing, she turned on the spot again and again, until she finally felt her sides contract and the world disappeared into nothingness.

The next few hours were hazy. She remembered arriving at St. Mungo's in what looked like the reception area. She remembered croaking for help before the stars overcame her and she passed out. She faded in and out of consciousness for awhile, her mind dulled by whatever potion they'd force fed to her. Blurs of colors and people and sounds barraged her half-asleep brain, but she fell asleep before she found out what they were.

"Please, you don't understand, I'm her sister -"

"Your last name is Zabini, is it not? And hers is clearly Greengrass."

"I got _married_ , I'm sorry, but she's still my sister, I can go back and prove it -"

"Please do. We'll all be very amused at what story you conjure up." The voice – Astoria assumed it was a Healer's – was speaking in a wry, condescending tone. The realization made the woman want to jump out of her bed – for surely she was lying in a bed, in fact she'd been in one similar to it before – and confront this obnoxious snob, but when she tried to sit up more, a shot of pain ran through her. The resulting wince was enough to alert the arguing figures to her newly-awakened presence, and the Healer immediately rushed from his position in the doorframe to the side of her bed.

"What's going on?" Astoria croaked, leaning back in her bed to get some relief.

"You passed out," the Healer said, eyes narrowed.

"I got that, thanks," she said, wincing again as made to sit up again. The Healer pushed her back, a little more forcefully than necessary, Astoria thought.

"Hey, watch it," Daphne said, and Astoria saw her sister peeking around the doorframe into the room. "She's fragile."

"I'm sorry she's not strong enough to handle a little prodding. It's her fault she hasn't come in earlier," the Healer snapped.

"What kind of Healer are you, anyway?" Daphne said, moving into the room. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were hard – she was angry.

"One that's had to heal countless others mistreated by people like _you_."

Daphne set her jaw, and said, "I think we need a new Healer."

"Matilda," Astoria managed to say. "Bring Matilda. She used – she used to help me."

"Matilda's dead," the Healer spat. "Killed by your personal friends the Death Eaters after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fell."

"Someone else," Daphne said. "Now."

The Healer left. Astoria sank back into the pillows, mind spinning.

"Go to sleep," Daphne said gently, rubbing her sister's arm. "I'll deal with this."

Astoria wanted to stay up, but her mind was elsewhere. Her vision turned to black the moment Daphne finished talking, and she slept.

A new Healer was by her bedside. This one was female and severe-looking, and she held a clipboard with a quill hovering over it. According to the pin on her robes, her name was Doris. As soon as she saw that Astoria's eyes were open, she launched into what felt like an interrogation.

"When did you first become host to this curse?"

"Fifth year at Hogwarts. Four years ago."

"What caused you to lower the frequency of your visits here?"

"They said they had a miracle cure." She couldn't keep the accusing tone out of her voice.

Doris glanced at her clipboard. "Oh, that. Well, it turns out the cure only repressed your symptoms until they came back full force when it wore off. Now, back to the questions. Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Drink?"

"Not excessively."

"Do you have a significant other?"

"No. Where's Daphne?"

"Your sister had to go home to take care of her daughter."

Amphora had been born just three weeks earlier, much to the delight of her family. Astoria felt a pang of guilt for making Daphne worry at the hospital while her newborn was at home. "Oh." 

"Any other questions?"

"Why am I here, again?" Astoria realized that she sounded obnoxious, but she didn't care.

The Healer smiled thinly. "Nerve damage resulting from the blood curse. We can cure it – there's a fairly simple potion that we've been using for centuries – but unfortunately the curse will continue to cause complications."

"What kinds of complications?" the woman asked, her mouth dry.

"Your sister told me you've already experienced the fainting."

"Years ago."

"Well, that'll be sure to continue. You might lose your hearing – again, easily remedied, but if you don't catch it early it could become a problem – or your appetite. You might become nauseous regularly."

"How can I fix it?"

Doris smiled again, sadly. "The curse will keep progressing. You have eighteen years, maybe twenty if you're lucky. The side effects will worsen as the curse does."

Astoria nodded and tried to push down the lump in her throat. "Right."

"As for now, I can give you some potions to keep the symptoms at bay. You'll have to take them twice a day."

"Until when?"

"Until they don't work anymore."

Astoria didn't know what to say to that, so she leaned back in her pillow and closed her eyes. It occurred to her that she was back in the same position that she'd been in in her fifth year – scared, unsure about the future, lying in a too-neat bed with a Healer staring grimly at her. She'd been so different then – a silly girl crushing on a dangerous boy, a girl who thought that friendships were based on what House you were in. Hiding a life-threatening curse to appease others and reassure herself.

And yet, she was back to square one now – her curse was threatening to take over her life, and she had mixed feelings about Draco Malfoy.

But she wasn't the girl she was. She was stronger, more sure of her moral standards and beliefs. She had more responsibility, she was an adult, she was mature.

Draco's apology reverberated through her head. He'd apologized, had he not? And if she was admitting she had changed herself, was it possible that he'd changed to?

 _I was a prat. I'm sorry._

He'd said it without the hope of gaining anything in return – surely that had to count for something. Maybe he'd matured. Maybe, now that he was an adult and more willing to admit his wrongdoings, he'd realized that his childhood prejudice was unfounded and cruel. It was a bizarre hope, and one that Astoria didn't put too much stock in, but it was there.

"What time is it?"

"Three in the afternoon," the Healer said, eyebrows raised.

Two hours past his suggested meeting time. Surely he'd realized that she had no intention of speaking to him since she didn't return his letter, but still, she felt guilty.

"When will you let me out of here?"

"After you take these potions, you can go to the discharge desk and set up your new weekly appointments with the receptionist. Then you may leave."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Healer said, "and good luck."

Astoria nodded, and Doris left.

The St. Mungo's waiting area was crowded, as usual. Astoria sat on a couch close to the reception area and filled out forms.

"Fancy seeing you here," a voice said from in front of her.

The woman looked up, and winced when she saw who it was. "Draco."

"Greengrass," he said evenly, and Astoria noted his use of her last name. He wasn't happy.

"I didn't – I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well," he said dryly, "I'd just returned from your, ah, empty house when my mother fell and broke her wrist. I could've mended it, but she doesn't trust me, so here we are."

"That's too bad."

"Today is not my day."

Astoria winced again. "About the letter -"

"You received it."

"I did."

"But you didn't respond." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and he sat down next to her and waited for her excuse.

"I was foolish."

"So you were."

"I had no reason to believe that you'd changed from the prejudiced boy you'd been, so I didn't respond." 

"Then why did you tell me to owl you in the first place?"

"I don't know."

He whistled softly and stared at the ceiling. "Well, then. I'm sorry I wasted my time."

The words hurt, but Astoria knew what she had to do. "Well, the thing is – I realized something between then and now."

He didn't respond, but he didn't move away, and she knew he was listening. So she continued.

"I mean, I've changed a lot since Hogwarts. I was foolish, and I was willing to ignore things that didn't suit me. I had a stupid crush on you, and I let myself take the fall for your questionable actions."

He nodded slightly, his eyes still unfocused.

"But, well – the thing is that I'm different now. I know who I am and I act accordingly."

"That's nice to hear," he said.

"And I thought that you might've changed too. Since you apologized to me without expecting anything in return."

"A fair assumption."

"So, there."

He turned to look at her. "That's it?"

"Yes, well -"

"No apology?" The corner of his mouth twitched, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry for not replying to your letter."

"And?"

"For making you wait."

"In the cold, I might add."

"Don't push your luck."

He smirked, and she laughed.

"So what're you here for?" he asked, and her laughter died immediately. Something in his eyes told her he already knew, but wanted her to say it.

Wanted her to trust him with the truth.

She bit her lip and swallowed. Her mouth still tasted like the Pepper-Up potion they'd given her. "I fainted last night for the fist time in years."

"Oh." 

"They said they had a miracle cure, and for the last three years it's been fine, but then – I don't know, I have nerve damage and a bunch of other complications from this stupid blood, and, well, here I am." She held up her half-completed forms. "Weekly appointments again, starting now."

He nodded. "Do you want tea?"

"No, thanks."

Just at that moment, a Healer called his name. "I should probably go," he said, standing up. "My mother -"

"Of course," Astoria said, managing a small smile through her disappointment.

He started to walk away, but turned back at the last moment. "Owl me," he said. "When you can."

She nodded, and something opened in her chest.

This would be the start of something wonderful, she just knew it.

 **Here's another a/n because I just realized something. I started writing this story this time last year, which is pretty cool. It was originally up on Wattpad (and it still is) under the same name. I think that's pretty cool. Anyway, review, follow and fav if you enjoyed!  
**

 **Also, a quick question: does anyone want another chapter between here and the epilogue? Something fluffy, like their first official date or something? Lemme know.**

 **Cassie**


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